08/18/2010
LED Faststart Trainer Recognized As One Of The Top Young Trainers In The U.S.
Training magazine selects Louisiana
FastStart's Barry May as one of 40 Top Young Trainers
BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana Economic Development announced
today LED Faststart™ Project Manager Barry May recently was
selected as a Top Young Trainer in the July/August 2010 issue of
Training magazine, which recognized 40
outstanding training professionals in the U.S., age 40 and
under.
"In just over two short years since it was launched, Louisiana
FastStart has become recognized as one of the top state workforce
development programs in the U.S.," said LED Secretary Stephen
Moret. "The reason LED Faststart has been recognized as one
of the best in the country is simple -- we have attracted some of
the most talented training professionals in the U.S. to join our
LED Faststart team. We're delighted that Barry May has earned
this well-deserved recognition, and we look forward to future
positive national recognition of LED Faststart and our
LED Faststart team members. LED Faststart is doing for
workforce development in Louisiana what the New Orleans Saints have
done for professional football. I'm very proud of their
progress."
For the 2010 Top Young Trainer selections, Training editors and an independent judging
panel comprised of Training's Editorial
Advisory Board evaluated the nominees on the following criteria:
leadership skills and technical competence; demonstrated career
progression in an accelerated timeframe; success in meeting a
difficult training challenge or completing a training turnaround
job; development of innovative training solutions or programs;
ability to consistently produce training results; and demonstrated
ability to design training programs that are strategically aligned
with the business. Nominees also had to have at least three years
of experience in the training field and manage one or more direct
reports or lead a large-scale training and development
initiative.
The judges for the Top Young Trainer selections included
executives and training professionals from Booz Allen Hamilton,
Pfizer, Disney Institute, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., Paradigm
Learning and MasterCard Worldwide.
Since starting at LED Faststart in 2009, May has worked
with several large companies, including leading global manufacturer
Gardner Denver Thomas, on pre- and post-employment training. When
Gardner Denver Inc. announced it was consolidating its Thomas
Products Division from Sheboygan, Wis., to Monroe, La., Louisiana
FastStart was responsible for helping the company move more than 30
production and machining lines, and expanding its workforce by more
than 200 employees in less than a year. To meet this firm timeline,
May assembled and coordinated a 10-member team to provide
around-the-clock support to Gardner Denver during the
transition.
"Barry strategically built his team to support a massive
workload, and he consistently has displayed strong project planning
skills, excellent communications and flexibility," said Louisiana
FastStart Executive Director Jeff Lynn. "These leadership qualities
are critical in normal circumstances, and even more critical with
large-scale, time sensitive projects."
May has eight years of experience in training at various levels,
including individual job tasks, manufacturing processes, safety,
quality, lean and Six Sigma training. Prior to his employment with
LED Faststart, May was involved with a startup company in
Louisiana where he developed and trained more than 50 new employees
on more than 70-plus pieces of equipment.
Launched by LED in 2008, LED Faststart provides customized
recruitment, screening and training to new and expanding companies
in Louisiana -- all at no cost. Recognized for its innovation,
effectiveness and efficiency, LED Faststart has quickly
established itself as one of the nation's top workforce training
solutions.
LED Faststart has received positive national recognition
from a variety of publications this year. For example, in its
February/March 2010 issue, Area
Development magazine recognized LED Faststart as one
of three elite workforce programs in the South (along with
Alabama's AIDT program and Georgia Quick Start). The Area Development article noted, "Other states
have attempted to model programs like LED Faststart, AIDT and
Quick Start, but find it challenging if they lack expertise across
a wide range of industries, plentiful and experienced industry
advisors, a well-connected technical college system or a history of
exceeding expectations when it comes to building relationships with
industry."
In its 2010 rankings issue, Business
Facilities magazine recognized LED Faststart as the
nation's best state workforce training program. LED Faststart
edged out other top five finishers for the top spot, including
Georgia, New Mexico, Florida and North Carolina. "Louisiana has
established the gold standard for workforce training solutions with
its innovative LED Faststart program," said Business Facilities Editor-in-Chief Jack
Rogers. "The availability of customized workforce recruitment,
screening and training rapidly is becoming a requirement for
success in the competition for new business. Louisiana is far ahead
of the curve with a fully integrated program that works in
partnership with higher education in a coordinated economic
development strategy that targets growth sectors."
About Training Magazine
Training magazine is a professional
development magazine that reports on training and workforce
development as a business tool. The magazine delves into such
management issues as leadership and succession planning; HR issues,
such as recruitment and retention; and training issues, such as
learning theory, on-the-job skills assessments and aligning core
workforce competencies to enhance the bottom line impact of
training and development programs. To learn more about Training magazine's Top Young Trainers, visit
www.TrainingMag.com.
