To the Editor:

Western Kentucky University, not unlike many institutions of higher education, has a Center for Training and Development which exists primarily to provide regional companies and other agencies with the types of corporate training discussed by Gary Matkin ("Colleges as Promoters of Economic Development," Point of View, November 17). The Center draws upon the expertise of faculty to provide business and industry, primarily manufacturing concerns, with intensive training programs in a variety of areas relevant to their operations.

As Matkin observes, these services take two forms: access to a "knowledge base" regarding various manufacturing processes, and the provision of "short-term, customized training programs" in the form of individualized sessions and/or entire programs on specific areas of the manufacturing process. Typical training topics include team dynamics, computer applications, and the various elements of statistical process control.

The recent resurgence of Total Quality Management(TQM) as a viable manufacturing strategy exemplifies the type of training that mandates closer collaboration between industry and academe. The global economy has precipitated increased competition within the manufacturing sector. As a result, many companies are taking a closer look at TQM in an effort to maintain a competitive edge.

In a nutshell, TQM is a cooperative form of doing business that relies on the talents and capabilities of both labor and management to continually improve quality and productivity using teams. Basically, it consists of three components: participative management, continuous process improvement, primarily through the use of statistics, and the use of organized work groups (either self- managed teams and/or quality circles). TQM emphasizes internal cooperation which enhances external competition. In short, TQM offers manufacturers a means of insuring greater efficiency as well as heightened responsiveness to customer demands.

Many of these concepts are well understood by academicians in higher education, but most manufacturers have no idea how to translate them into practical means of enhancing their ability to compete more efficiently and thus capture a greater percentage of the available market. And expanding the market share, incidently, typically increases the need for more employees; i.e., it creates jobs.

In sum, Matkin is essentially correct in his assertion that providing the kinds of training experiences available to manufacturers via higher education can help companies remain competitive in today's global market. Developing and maintaining such links with business and industry is also the perfect way for higher education to "serve the society that supports it."