Highest Value = Low Cost + Most Comprehensive
Section 0701 – Orange Empire
Section Educational Mission:
- Provide the highest value, most comprehensive and exhaustive ASQ Certification Refresher Courses available in the Orange Empire geographic region
- Promote a high professional presence of certified quality professionals in Southern California
- Encourage professional certification within the section membership, supporting businesses, educational institutions, and the Southern California community
- Foster a learning community of engaged and skilled quality professionals
Section refresher courses are offered bi-annually on a rotation that supports ASQ Certification Exams. The Certification exams are offered by the section four times per year the first Saturday in March, June, October, and December. Exams are administered by ASQ Headquarters and our section Chief Proctor. Currently, the section exams are hosted by Alcon Labs (10+ years). The support of Alcon Labs allows the section to continue offering low-cost education programs to ASQ members.
Starting in 2007 the section expanded their traditional refresher courses and together with Alcon Labs, NOCCCD (North Orange County Community College District) began to host these evening courses. By offering their facility, these organizations show significant support of the continued educational development of the mid-career professionals. The support of NOCCCD and Alcon Labs allows us to meet the demand for quality professional certification in Southern California. Specifically, their support has allowed the section to double the number of refresher courses available to the Southern California community since 2007. The Orange Empire Section 0701 consistently offers one of the most comprehensive programs of certification prep courses available in the entire in the United States.
The section currently offers 12 Refresher Courses in this bi-annual cycle. Each course covers the Body of Knowledge (BOK) as identified on the ASQ Headquarters website, www.asq.org. Courses are offered one night per week (Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday) for 3 hours on consecutive weeks (9 to 15) and are designed to cover a comprehensive review of the Body of Knowledge (BOK) as published by ASQ Headquarters on their website at www.asq.org. This is 27-45 hours of classroom instruction on the details specified in the certification Body of Knowledge (BOK). Instructors are carefully chosen by the section and are continuously monitored for effectiveness and responsiveness to their students. The ASQ Instructor Validation Model is used by the section to validate instructors. Instructor candidates are qualified through clinic or key-note presentations at the Orange Empire dinner meetings.
For members currently in transition (unemployed), section refresher courses are offered at 50% through the 2012 fiscal year. In addition, the section provides scholarships to current volunteers recommended by their committee chair. These scholarships include the refresher course as well as the cost of the exam and the course study material. This scholarship to section refresher courses has been offered for over 5 years and has been approved by ASQ Headquarters. If you qualify for the section scholarship, please let the leadership committee know of your interest. Once a candidate has the support of their committee leader and has completed an interview with the education chair, the scholarship candidate is presented to the Leadership Committee who votes on the final award. Scholarship candidates are required to give a minimum of 25 hours of volunteer activity within the section.
Additional refresher courses are considered depending upon local interest and demand, a host facility, and qualified instructors.
- Margaret Benavides, Education Chair
