The Labor Department reported earlier this month that during the month of April the unemployment rates in two thirds of U.S. states fell, suggesting continued economic growth as this year progresses. In most states the unemployment rate dropped below the national average of 8.1percent, recorded during the previous month. In April of 2012 the unemployment rates in 22 of the U.S. states came in below 7 percent, compared to just 13 states...
Are you tasked with strengthening your organization’s training program through the purchase of E-Learning courseware? In today’s world that is going to be difficult to do — if learning and retention are your ultimate objectives. Oh sure, you can purchase courseware “titles” that purport to address your needs — but, in most such instances the content presentation will be far removed from the learning culture of most of your trainees. Why? Today,...
Time and time again we have stressed the importance of maintenance training. Industrial maintenance training is so critical to any given manufacturers success because it ensures all of your factory equipment, new and old, is functioning both efficiently and effectively for maximum production output. Industrial maintenance training, though goes way beyond simply educating your workforce on the ins and outs of your plant’s machinery. Proper maintenance training teaches trainees how to recognize...
Learning is not merely memorization of information. Learning is the mental response to informational stimulation, which turns into reflection and new awareness. Meaningful learning initiates action and change, which results in heightened values and skills. Very few individuals will possess the gifts necessary to create meaningful instructional design. And that fact, coupled with high production costs, is why the “do-it-yourself” purveyors will fail. Today, learner-controlled E-Learning is the best answer for effective...
The importance of aesthetics in E-Learning design is often ignored. For some unknown reasons, the creative artistry that more often distinguishes the great learning experience lies unexplored. And yet, every program or production that we remember is most often the one that appealed to our senses — that, in turn, stimulated our mind to learn, absorb and retain. While we all know the importance of the SME, the computer programmer, and the...
It should come as no surprise that many manufacturers both large and small are facing a severe shortage when it comes to finding a skilled production workforce. Because the skilled labor gap continues to widen, manufacturers are stepping up, finding training partners and implementing industrial training on their own in order to remain competitive and to meet their plant’s needs. Darlene Miller, CEO of Permac Industries, said “Finding skilled and trained workers...
April marked a much needed gain in U.S. factory output, greatly due to the rise in auto production. As a result of the more demanding market, many plants have increased hiring in an effort to help the economy to continue growing.
In simple terms, we define “usability” as how user-friendly or appealing a program is to its users. In practice, usability goes deeper than this, and is closely related to how much users actually learn from using their E-Learning courseware. Many of the usability concepts that need to be considered from the end-user’s perspective are closely linked to the instructional design and learning objectives of the program. These include whether learners are kept...
The annual ASTD International Conference took place in Denver last week. Without question, it is the world’s largest gathering of training professionals. Although cut short by an unexpected trip to an Emergency Room, I was in attendance for about the thirtieth time. As a longtime participant at ASTD, I am aware of several changes taking place in our industry — most of which are very healthy for the future of training. While...
With e-learning, quality welding training is just a click away. In today’s industrial arena the demand for skilled workers has become a rising issue. With online courseware you can obtain new industrial skill sets both quickly and effectively. So, why should you consider welding training? Simple, because any form of industrial training is an investment in yourself, whether it be for an individual worker or a company as a whole. And, if...
Raymond Floyd, the current vice president of Suncor Energy was featured as this year’s keynote speaker at Industry Week’s Best Plants Conference. During a time which is usually used to discuss industry related case studies or how a particular business is enhancing their lean practices, Floyd took another approach and instead discussed his six steps to help build a successful workforce dedicated to changing an organization for the better. First, Floyd suggests...
PowerPoint is the major enemy of E-Learning. It has distorted the learning values of this new education/training tool. It has turned off millions of individuals who would otherwise be motivated by the potential of the E-Learning medium. In short, PowerPoint has done much more harm to the reputation of E-Learning than most of us can possibly imagine. Why!?! Too few, charged with making training initiative decisions for their organization, have very little...
Along with Adam Kovic, my friend and colleague at ITC, I have just returned from two most stimulating weeks in the Middle East. As guests of Dubai-headquartered Human Capital Management Solutions (HCMS), we visited Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and UAE during the first week, holding meetings in the private sector as well as with several universities. The bulk of week two was spent in Doha where HCMS was hosting their second annual “Training...
In this day and age industrial training has come into high demand. As industrial factory owners and their managers begin to grow increased confidence in hiring and spending, manufacturing training has become all the more important. This week, the U.S. steel industry reported a slow recovery as the first quarter came to a close. While the industry is still battling the post-recession slump, some progression is evident in their reports of higher...
