Training head will cater to needs of business.

As Kristin Houser makes the switch from the biotech industry to directing the Employee Training Institute at the College of the Canyons, the one lesson she brings is how quickly training needs change.

An employer may have educated and well-trained employees but their skills and abilities may not serve a business wanting to maintain a competitive edge.

"Things don't stand still, it's a dynamic business environment particularly if you are interested in competing globally," Houser said.

Houser begins her new position at the college on Sept. 5.

What attracted Houser to the ETI directorship was the opportunity to use both her business and academic backgrounds. She comes to the college from Miltenyi Biotec, Inc., where she served as general manager. She also taught for five years in the business program at the University of Redlands and was director of its masters in management program.

The College of the Canyons started the Employee Training Institute in 1989 and receives state funding to provide classes and seminars to the Santa Clarita Valley business community.

The more she researched the college, the more impressive was its role in economic development, providing business-related internships and programs such as the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, Houser said.

She particularly liked that the ETI's state funding has increased over the years, Houser said.

"That doesn't happen unless you are doing something that's working," Houser said.

In her role as the director of the institute, Houser said she wants to be the bridge between the college and its programs and the business community.

If there is a program that companies want not being offered, then one will be created, she said.

"It's the mission of the ETI to be the preferred partner of choice for employers and it's important to accurately assess what they need and then be able to deliver on that," Houser said.

BY MARK R. MADLER Staff Reporter