Do you have problems dealing with difficult, hard-to-motivate employees or understanding government regulations and safety requirements? Do you have employees who need enhanced computer skills or team training? Are you concerned about ergonomic issues?

Whatever the need for local and area industries and businesses, EKU's Division of Community and Workforce Education can deliver a program to meet it.

Dozens of courses in EKU's First-Line Supervision, Human Resources Professional and Ergonomic Management certification programs are available on an ongoing basis on the Richmond campus and/or in Danville and Corbin, where the University has extended campus centers.

"We offer a good cross-section of training programs that appeal to different aspects of business and industry," said Richard Tussey, training and development coordinator with EKU's Division of Community and Workforce Education. "All of our training programs have been developed with direct input from regional businesses and industries and are targeted to central and eastern Kentucky."

Certification programs are especially valuable to those who have little or no previous formal training, Tussey explained. Rather than completing a program, some participants choose instead to take individual courses that bridge a specific knowledge gap.

Descriptions of the certification programs follow:

* First-Line Supervision Certification. Core I introduces participants to management style comparisons, leadership vs. management, expectations of supervisors, personal style inventories, safety, planning, organizing, decision-making, monitoring, communication skills, problem-solving and team presentation skills. Core II expands those concepts through detailed examination and case study experience. Additional material includes the performance appraisal process, the changing workplace and supervising under the law.

* Human Resource Professional Certification. Participants may choose 13 of 16 seminars: Hiring and Staffing Practices; Personnel Administration; Compensation, Benefits; Coaching, Counseling and Discipline; Employee Relations; Labor Relations Act; Title VII; ADA, FMLA and Workers' Compensation; Safety and Health; Government Agency Compliance; Workplace Violence; Training Requirements; Employee Handbooks, Effective Communication; and Professional Development and Ethics.

* Ergonomic Maintenance Certification, with separate programs for manufacturing and allied health. The program is offered Feb. 25-March 1 at EKU. Instruction in the programs is provided by a combination of EKU faculty and staff and area professionals. "All our programs are professionally presented and with consistency," Tussey emphasized.

EKU also offers Executive and Manufacturing Maintenance certification courses as well as AutoCAD classes and Microsoft Office User Specialist certification, along with other customized training.

For more information about certification programs or to discuss a need for customized training, call EKU's Division of Community and Workforce Education, 859-622-2961 or 859-622-1164, or visit www.cwe.eku.edu.