Based on television ads, Facebook posts, and the number of school buses on the road it appears school has started for the fall term. It seems a bit early to me; the Tuesday after Labor Day has always been soon enough in my mind, but the world seldom takes my feelings into account. Colleges have either an early or a late start and the academic schedule seems permanently disconnected from the athletic one the public cares about. A year ago I blogged about my theory that we are now programmed to start new tasks — especially intellectual ones — in the fall. I still feel this way and encourage organizations to get their associates engaged in personal and system improvements during a time when they are pre-conditioned to learn. The gear trade has never had such a wide variety of options for targeted education. The American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA), along with many private concerns, conducts seminars and courses in virtually every area of gear education. What’s more, Gear Expo (in Detroit this year) typically features a number of seminars concurrent with the exhibit hours. This is on top of the cutting-edge technical papers presented earlier in the week at the Fall Technical Meeting. Many exhibitors at the show have a training component to their booth or offer custom training at your facility. Gear Technology magazine is devoted to helping its readers become more valuable to their organizations. Our Gear Expo program will include live “Ask the Expert” sessions with a stellar selection of industry experts from around the world, including Gear Technology technical editors. Bring your toughest problems for our all-star team to take a crack at in front of a live audience! We don’t hear “continuous improvement” discussed much anymore, but it is still a critical part of all our missions. Why not avail yourself and your company of the awesome gear training resources currently on offer?