(This article appeared in the September 1998AIRFRAME ADVISER, a United Airlines newsletter in San Francisco, California.)

Today's business headlines reflect the volatility of the stock market. More people than ever before are becoming investors in the market. As an investor, one must intelligently evaluate where to invest and plan for a favorable return on investment.

On a daily basis the Training Department acts as an investor in the market, the training market that is. We invest time and our budget dollar each time we put a student into a class.

One of the courses we invest in is CPR/First Aid. This training is provided to all Fuel Tank Entry technicians (as a requirement), Safety representatives (as a good safety practice), and most anyone submitting a request to Training (with priority going to Team Leaders and leads).

As most of you know, the Red Cross has provided this training over the years and although the training itself has been satisfactory, we have been disappointed with the return.

We have experienced several problems with dependability, cost effectiveness, and lack of flexibility for off shift needs. We determined that it's not the best investment for us. We discovered an alternative while in communications with our IMC [another United Airlines division] counterparts. The IMC for the past few years has had great success with a company called EMP America which specializes in CPR/First Aid training. After careful evaluation of their program and its success, we decided to invest. We have invested in purchasing our own equipment (no more rental fees) and our own Trainers (much more dependability and flexibility with off shift training).

The cost savings will be immediate and obvious with the per student cost at approximately $3.40 for EMP per person vs. $44.00 for the Red Cross (paid whether the student showed up or not).