Take a behind the scenes look at what it takes to bring a Harley-Davidson® motorcycle to life. And be one of the first to see the brand new Harley-Davidson® models to be unveiled just days before the conference!
Only one of three Harley-Davidson facilities in the USA to open its doors for a glimpse of its manufacturing process in action, the 358,000-square-foot Harley-Davidson Vehicle and Powertrain Operations in Kansas City, MO. was built in 1998 to increase production of Harley-Davidson® motorcycles.
Hear how a high-performance organization works and how its employees work collaboratively and are empowered to channel their pride and expertise into machines that capture the imagination. Witness first-hand, from the manufacturing floor, the entire production process from start to finish.
Cameras are welcome in the Tour Center but are not permitted on the tour. Lockers are available for securing cameras and other belongings during the tour.
National Academy of Railroad Sciences
Wednesday, July 18
11:45 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Sign up on site for this tour at the conference Information Booth, beginning at noon on Tuesday July 17.
Bus will leave from the Convention Center promptly at 11:45 a.m. Details will be provided to tour registrants.
Box lunches will be provided.
The National Academy of Railroad Sciences (NARS) is closely affiliated with the nationally renowned Technical Training Center of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. One of the largest railroads in the world, BNSF spends millions of dollars and thousands of man-hours each year to train its 45,000 employees. NARS is an outgrowth of the BNSF training center and works within the confines of the center to bring railroad training to other companies and individuals.
The National Academy of Railroad Sciences is a Workforce Investment Act (WIA) approved training provider offering basic and advanced skills in the major railroad crafts, including: Locomotive Engineer, Conductor, Locomotive Mechanical, Locomotive Electrical, Freight Car, Signal Systems, and Welding. The combination of teaching skills and life experiences delivered by career railroad employees makes the Academy instructors some of the most respected and accomplished in the field of employee training.
To maintain that the NARS training program is the best in the country, the Academy has constructed working laboratories for individual railroad crafts. Locomotive Engineers are trained in several simulators that replicate the operations of locomotive engines, including all on-board computerized systems. Conductors learn practice skills in an outdoor train yard, complete with various types of operating locomotives and freight cars. Mechanical employees train in workshops, including a freight car lab, locomotive lab, and locomotive electrical lab. Signal Operators train on the actual signals, electronic switches and computer apparatus that they will install and service in the field.
The Academy serves Class I railways, short-line, and regional railroads. NARS customers also include employees of non-railroad companies who work in railroad environments.
Located on the campus of the Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, KS just southwest of Kansas City, NARS occupies 100,000 square feet of office, classroom, laboratory, and multimedia studio space.
Join us Wednesday mid-day for this most fascinating tour!
Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Wednesday, July 18
12:15 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Sign up on site for this tour at the conference Information Booth, beginning at noon on Tuesday July 17.
Bus will leave from the Convention Center promptly at 12:15 p.m. Details will be provided to tour registrants.
Box lunches will be provided.
Visit the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, aspiring to be one of the most innovative biomedical research organizations in the world. If your regional economy aspires to bring in bio-tech emerging industries, this tour is for you.
The Stowers Institute conducts basic research on genes and proteins that control fundamental processes in living cells to unlock the mysteries of disease and find the keys to their causes, treatment, and prevention. Jim and Virginia Stowers, cancer survivors and founders of American Century Investments, have dedicated their fortune to supporting the Institute's basic research in the hope that it will point the way to long-term solutions for gene-based diseases.
The Stowers Institute opened its doors to the first scientific research teams in November 2000 after completion of its state-of-the-art research facility in Kansas City, Missouri. The Institute currently accommodates twenty three independent research programs and nearly 380 members, including approximately 100 post-doctoral research associates and graduate students. Notable discoveries from the Institute's laboratories appear regularly in the leading peer-reviewed journals in biomedicine. Stowers scientists have quickly established the Institute's international reputation for highest quality basic research aimed at finding answers to some of the most important questions of human biology, health, and disease.
Join us for a tour of this state-of-the-art facility and learn more about this exciting high-growth biomedical facility.
Independence Center Educational Resource Center
Thursday, July 19
1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Sign up on site for this tour at the conference Information Booth, beginning at noon on Tuesday July 17.
Bus will leave from the Convention Center promptly at 1:00 p.m. Details will be provided to tour registrants.
The Independence, Missouri Educational Resource Center (ERC) is one of 20 ERCs located in 11 states across the Nation. A joint project between the Simon Youth Foundation and the Fort Osage, Independence, and Blue Spring school districts, ERC's are alternative schools that work in conjunction with public school districts to provide at-risk students the opportunity to earn their high school diplomas in Simon Property Malls. With a graduation rate of 88%, more than 3,000 students have earned their high school diplomas from and ERC since 1998.
During your visit to the Independence Mall ERC, you will have an opportunity to learn about the Center's creative approaches in serving the youth of the area and hear about their engaging programs, including:
- Entrepreneurship program that prepares students for business ownership with skills in management, marketing, communication and economics;
- Internship component, whereby students are permitted to earn credit in an approved business under the supervision of the teacher-coordinator;
- Nine-week mall internship program where the owners and managers of businesses located in the mall mentor students; and
- College credit arrangements for its students with the Blue River Community College.
Kansas City Power & Light, Hawthorn Generating Station
Thursday, July 19
1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Sign up on site for this tour at the conference Information Booth, beginning at noon on Tuesday July 17.
Note: Due to the nature of the facility, we regret that this tour is not wheelchair accessible.
Bus will leave from the Convention Center promptly at 1:00 p.m. Details will be provided to tour registrants.
Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCPL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Plains Energy, is an investor-owned electric utility serving residential and commercial customers in Missouri and Kansas. A 2005 recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in Employment, KCPL supports the Kansas City Full Employment Council in the development of both a professional and vocational track for students and young adults, including Workforce Investment Act graduates. KCPL is committed to the Kansas City metropolitan community and is dedicated to establishing a diverse workforce.
With training and development a priority area for the company, KCPL offers an Education Assistance Program for its employees interested in academic achievement to increase specific job skills or work towards an undergraduate or advanced degrees, often reimbursing students for 70 to 100 percent of their tuition costs. Furthermore, the company offers a strong apprenticeship program with a total of 86 apprentices currently registered in occupations including line installer repairer, maintenance mechanic, welder, relay technician and operating engineer.
During this tour, attendees will visit the company's Hawthorn Generating Station, a 550-acre site on the Missouri River in downtown Kansas City that represents 26% of the company's total production capacity.
See first hand how electricity is produced, then speak with workforce system clients employed at the plant as well as with KCPL staff who will elaborate on the company's training efforts and its apprenticeship opportunities.
Note: For safety reasons, tour participants must wear only hard soled shoes or tennis shoes (no high heels, sandals or open toed shoes). Slacks rather than skirts or shorts are strongly advised as well. KCPL will provide hard hats, safety glasses and hearing protection for tour participants. This tour involves visiting high-elevation areas.
U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration
American Society for Training & Development
