LEARNING IS SWEET CHOCOLATIERS HUNGER FOR TRAINING.Byline: ALEX DOBUZINSKIS Staff Writer VALENCIA - Chocolates a la Carte is a Valencia company that knows all about fashioning creative shapes out of the decadent dec·a·dent adj. 1. Being in a state of decline or decay. 2. Marked by or providing unrestrained gratification; self-indulgent. 3. often Decadent Of or relating to literary Decadence. n. brown stuff. But just like many companies, the chocolate maker is happy to get help educating its work force. College of the Canyons College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. According to the National Junior College Research Association, College of the Canyons consistently ranks in the top 50 community colleges in the nation. trained front-line supervisors at the company over the summer, and a new round of training is going on now. The college views the training it offers Chocolates a la Carte and other companies as a way to invigorate in·vig·or·ate tr.v. in·vig·or·at·ed, in·vig·or·at·ing, in·vig·or·ates To impart vigor, strength, or vitality to; animate: "A few whiffs of the raw, strong scent of phlox invigorated her" the local economy. ``From my perspective, from the CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. perspective, it's done really great things for us,'' said Richard Pocrass of Chocolates a la Carte. The instruction for 15 supervisors at the company was conducted in English and Spanish Spanish, river, c.150 mi (240 km) long, issuing from Spanish Lake, S Ont., Canada, NW of Sudbury, and flowing generally S through Biskotasi and Agnew lakes to Lake Huron opposite Manitoulin island. There are several hydroelectric stations on the river. , and lasted for four hours a day, twice a week, from June 21 to Aug. 4. Another management class is being taught at the company for 15 participants -- six of them from Chocolates a la Carte and seven of them from Del West Engineering. Priscilla Vaiz has been a manager at Chocolates a la Carte for nearly 14 years, but had received no training other than the initial, informal training she got when she started the job. ``My opinion is, I got a lot out of it, and not only ... work-related (information) but also home-related, too, and how to keep your work at work and your home (issues) at home,'' said Vaiz, who oversees a team of 12 workers who package chocolates for shipment. The company makes all kinds of chocolate creations and ships them to clients. An Eiffel Tower Eiffel Tower, structure designed by A. G. Eiffel and erected in the Champ-de-Mars for the Paris exposition of 1889. The tower is 984 ft (300 m) high and consists of an iron framework supported on four masonry piers, from which rise four columns uniting to form one , a Capitol Capitol, seat of the U.S. Congress Capitol, seat of the U.S. government at Washington, D.C. It is the city's dominating monument, built on an elevated site that was chosen by George Washington in consultation with Major Pierre L'Enfant. dome, a pyramid pyramid, structure pyramid. The true pyramid exists only in Egypt, though the term has also been applied to similar structures in other countries. Egyptian pyramids are square in plan and their triangular sides, which directly face the points of the , a black piano with white keys, a baseball bat, a golf ball and even a Faberge-style urn are just some of the small chocolate objects the company can create. The Employee Training Institute at College of the Canyons has been working with companies since 1989 to train local workers. The institute is funded with state funds and money that companies pay for the educational program. The institute's aim is ``to work with local companies and to provide training that's going to help them be successful and help their employees gain the skills they need for the job,'' said Dena Maloney, dean of economic development. The institute uses a mix of college instructors and industry professionals it hires for the job. alex.dobuzinskis@dailynews.com (661) 257-5253 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Priscilla Baizvaiz, left, a manager at Chocolates a la Carte in Valencia, works with Jose Valencia and Adela Aguilar on the production line. Baizvaiz is a former College of the Canyons student. (2) College of the Canyons instructor Marie Echavarri teaches management techniques to workers at Chocolates a la Carte in Valencia. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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