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Network NEwS
Launch of Graduate Diploma in
Innovation – Services
www.ilsf.ie
Sharing best practice
Innovation & Lean Sigma Skillnet (ILSS),
in conjunction with EMC’s Ireland Center
of Excellence (COE), welcomed its
member companies including Elsevier,
Bausch & Lomb, Boston Scientific, BSCI,
Stryker, SR Technics, and GSK, to the EMC
Ovens campus in October for a day of
sharing best practices and networking.
The purpose of the event was to share
knowledge, innovation and continuous
improvement ideas with the ILSS member
companies across Munster and Ireland
whose aims are to achieve sustained
success and competitiveness by pursuing
excellence in a challenging environment.
Participants looked at the EMC innovation
process and then took part in a discussion
Innovation & Lean Sigma Skillnet’s
North East Forum, in conjunction with
IBM, launched the Graduate Diploma in
Innovation – Services in February. This
programme will give managers the tools
and experience to assist their companies
in improving performance, increasing
competitiveness and helping differentiate
and transform themselves for future
growth and success.
Participants will learn to explore and
decide which new projects will best fit
their company’s goals, then creatively
deal with the challenges of design,
implementation and management of
service projects and innovations.
Participants will focus on a shared
non-company project during class days
forum to review Operational Excellence
(OE) practices (Lean, Six Sigma, continuous
improvement, business and process
excellence).
The event was opened with an inspiring
welcome message by Bob Savage, Vice-
President and MD, EMC, followed by a
presentation on EMC’s innovation show-
case project to get everyone motivated
for the theme of the day, which was
generating innovative ideas to identify
and resolve business challenges faced
by the participants.
Dermot O’Neill, Network Manager, ILSS
commented – “The event demonstrated
the essence of what ILSS is about – freely
and an on-going in-company project
between sessions.
The programme is very flexible by
nature, both in length of delivery and
merits for outside class work. Options
are: 12 sessions over three months
which is the equivalent to a ‘Black Belt
in Innovation’ or shorter programmes can
also be offered – a two day introductory
course would equate to a ‘White Belt in
Innovation’ and a five day course would
equate to a ‘Green Belt in Innovation’.
The number of credits in a University
Master’s Programme that can be offered,
where merited, may also vary. A low
level of outside-class work would receive
five credits, while full course work merits
up to 30 credits and the Diploma Award.
sharing knowledge… The feedback
I received from the participants is
commendable to all concerned at EMC.
Thank you again from ILSS and its
participating members in allowing
us to network, knowledge share and
benchmark in an open, professional,
and most of all friendly way.”
Participants agreed to hold similar future
events where they could set up and use
a common forum to discuss their business
challenges and formulate workable
solutions.
www.ilsf.ie
Bob Savage, Vice-President and
MD, EMC addressing the group.
Skillnets News • March 2012
21