Today, the E-Learning world must be viewed with caution. The opportunities provided by this potentially powerful training medium are being mitigated by the preponderance of adapted PowerPoints and converted written procedures. Consequently, E-Learning is being compromised by these word-heavy “information” programs — all far removed from effective learning principles. Ultimately, E-Learning’s future lies with knowledgeable Instructional Designers who can return training to the learning-richness of the Interactive Laser Videodisc and CD-ROM...
Last week, I received an interesting e-Mail from Derek Singleton, an analyst who covers the job shop manufacturing software industry, derek@softwareadvice.com. Derek, evidently a sometimes reader of this blog, wanted me to examine the ideas he was postulating in regard to overcoming the skills gap in manufacturing. Specifically, he advocated three possible solutions and the following italicized sections are his opinions (along with my own comments which are set off with parentheses):...
In training conferences and meetings throughout the country, the arguments over “best learning medium” are becoming commercially meaningless today. Why? Because most large, and many medium-size, companies have already decided the issue. For a variety of reasons, these corporations have chosen “E-Learning” as the training medium of choice — and, that’s that! The efficiencies born out of “anytime/anywhere,” reduced travel, and labor savings have all pointed in one direction — E-Learning. The...
In meeting your training initiative obligations, you will be investing in various training vendors and their sales representatives. But, will you be able to trust the salesperson who is assigned your account? If you can (and, I hope that’s the case) you will be working with a salesperson who is honest, has integrity and truly cares about your needs and your problems. The creation of a consistent atmosphere of “mutual trust” will...
Training skills are not easy to come by. The most effective methods and the greatest intentions can all go unnoticed when it comes to implementing industrial training skills if the adult learner is not fully understood. Malcolm Knowles, who is credited with revolutionizing the adult learning field, identified key principals which are critical in understanding adult learning tendencies. These critical principles can ultimately help manufacturing managers not only put in place quality...
In today’s economy plant owners and manufacturing managers often find themselves asking what practices are best for each of their factories and wonder how they can turn things around on a consistent basis and put the economic hard times officially behind us. Aside from industrial skills training, a few other key factors can contribute to maximizing your return on investment and ultimately your bottom line. Last week, manufacturing executives from around the...
Without something resembling a liberal arts education — combined with an extensive vocabulary — in-depth thinking becomes restricted. Without the skills training one receives in high school and college, as well as from corporate training departments, the ability to excel in one’s chosen career becomes limited. In terms of the former, most individuals are on their own, as a liberal arts education becomes more and more de-emphasized. No worry, however, for those...
Compared to many other countries, American front-line workers lag far behind in the sophisticated skills needed in order for a country to compete internationally: communications, math, science, conceptual thinking, flexibility, responsiveness, and technological expertise. These are skills that most front-line workers in Japan and European nations like Germany possess, to the ultimate economic benefit of their countries. What these other nations have learned about education and the workforce has been translated into...
The labor costs associated with training are, by far, the single biggest cost factor relating to that activity. Labor costs, in most instances, exceed all the money you may have invested in vendor courseware and/or instructors — combined! And yet, there is an effective and easy way to minimize those labor costs and, at the same time, dramatically improve your training initiatives. The shortcomings of traditional methods to keep up with rapid...
Skilled industrial jobs have long been the hardest to fill. Electricians, carpenters and welders are constantly in demand within the industrial workforce, but more and more it seems that the hiring pool is becoming scarce. This could partly be due to the retirement of baby boomers and partly due to the disinterest of today’s youth. A 2010 poll sponsored by Nuts Bolts and Thingamajigs (NBT) and the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA)...
It’s clear that bouncing back from the economic crisis our country faced not too long ago has not been an easy task for many manufacturing businesses. However, one factory is beating the odds. Almost a decade ago, a small steel mill located in central Indiana faced bankruptcy until it was eventually bought out by Steel Dynamics. Today, the plant is successful and plans are in place to invest $76 million towards expansion....
So much conversation regarding training these days centers on E-Learning. The practical benefits of E-Learning are obvious: 24×7 access and its availability anytime/anywhere. But, ignored much too often, are the learning values that do not exist with most current E-Learning courses -– primarily because almost all current E-Learning ignores the necessity of full-screen, video-based training that is central to the learning culture of today’s workforce. If training values (including high retention rates...
Beware of the oft-used title — “customer service.” As practiced today, customer service is merely a response department in which their sole job is to respond to complaints, error reports and other problems. What you should be looking for is a courseware vendor that practices “customer assurance” — a training vendor that is always thinking “customers” — from initial development through service-after-the-sale. It all starts with courseware development. And, I’m not talking...
The manufacturing industry has long been a challenging and innovative field. The resulting products of the industry have shaped our technology and in many ways the way that our society functions. But now, as baby boomers begin to retire and the next generation is forced to step to the plate the turnout seems a bit scarce. So, who’s to blame? Manufacturers of course. It is the responsibility of industrial leaders to keep...
