“MEASURING YOUR SUCCESS”

What do you want to accomplish with your training initiatives?

If you are charged with the industrial skills training initiatives, do your objectives include minimizing downtime, reducing scrap, cross training your workforce?

Or, are those objectives really tied to a “CYA” strategy? In other words, are you going to justify your training initiatives by showing management the improvement results that you can demonstrate by comparing pre-test and final exam scores?

If, after an honest self-assessment, you find that to be true you’re not doing a very good job of helping your organization meet its top line and bottom line goals.

Does it not stand to reason that almost all individuals will make higher final exam scores than they scored during the pre-test? Of course! And, that simple memorization and regurgitation-of-information process will not necessarily translate into improved task accomplishment.

Downtime may not be minimized, scrap may not be reduced and, workers may not have improved their skill sets.

And if your initiatives include generic courseware that you intend to purchase from a vendor, listen with only one ear when their salesperson extols the virtues of his product’s ability to demonstrate post-test results that are higher than the pre-test scores. Means nothing!

No! Your training initiatives should be measured against a “tasks-skills” result. First, you need to know the tasks required to accomplish a reduction in downtime, a reduction in scrap and/or an increase in multi-craft skill sets.

Second, after consultation with your plant floor supervisory staff, you need to identify the skills required to positively impact those required tasks.

And, finally, you need to look at the results you achieve in downtime, scrap and multi-craft capability. The numbers will be available. And, the supervisory staff will see the results on-the-floor. Look at the numbers and talk with the supervisors. Only then will you be able to validate the success of your training initiatives.

More on Tuesday – – –

— Bill Walton, Founder, ITC Learning
www.itclearning.com/blog/ (Tuesdays & Thursdays)
e-Mail: bwalton@itclearning.com

“THE WORLD RELIES ON THE HANDS OF ITS MEN AND WOMEN”