March 31, 2014 Moving training from computer access to tablet and smart phone access is the next big migration in training technology. A couple of years ago, this migration was anticipated and in a blog that appeared in “Tablet Training” a few of the many advantages of this expansion-in-learning were clearly spelled out: Immersion – the way in which a user interacts with a computer based system. Simplicity – the need to...
March 26, 2014 In Monday’s post, we examined the first big trainer/vendor mistake. We’re now ready to address the second “killer.” In many ways, the arguments are similar to the one’s we made two days ago — only, this time, the fatal mistake comes from a trusted employee or loyal customer. For example, an educator or a trainer listens to a respected colleague, who expresses an idea that seems to make sense....
March 25, 2014 Today and Wednesday we’re going to look at the two fatal mistakes corporate training departments and training vendors make. And, “fatal” is not an exaggeration when discussing the many otherwise technology-smart people who come up with exciting ideas but drown in their own ocean of misguided premises. I cannot begin to enumerate the number of great concepts and brilliant adaptations of technology that I have seen fail. It’s all...
March 19, 2014 As a follow-up to Monday’s post, it is imperative that we get a more complete perspective on the current composition of our workforce and the opportunities to improve both their education and their training. 75% of the high school students that our education system graduates each year are not likely to earn a college baccalaureate degree. These students eventually comprise the majority of America’s front-line workforce, and the prosperity...
March 17, 2014 In a well-reasoned article by Bob Williamson (Maintenance Technology: “Replacing the Maintenance Apprenticeship Training Model), Williamson opens with a short review of the traditional model: “We’ve recently realized that our current apprenticeship model for training and developing maintenance technicians is obsolete. Very few, if any, people are interested. Those who sign up rarely stick with it for very long. Those who have completed the training often lack the equipment...
March 12, 2014 Quoting from Paul Davidson’s article (“More Employers Spend to Raise Workers’ Skills”) in USA TODAY this week, we find some good news for those of us committed to training and learning: Employers say a skills gap that’s keeping them from finding qualified job candidates is widening. But they finally may be doing something about it. About half of businesses say they plan to train new hires this year, up...
March 10, 2014 The arguments over “best learning medium,” that readily ensue when training professionals get together, 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! And, as trainers, we should not fret too long over that decision. Technology continues to evolve and...
March 5, 2014 In one of his WASHINGTON POST columns, Thomas Heath begins: “I said something disrespectful about salespeople many years ago, and my wife Polly, upbraided me straightaway. ‘Selling is a real talent,’ she said. ‘If you can sell, you can always find work.’ I immediately gained a respect for salespeople that I have never lost.” Heath’s column is devoted to a story that features Karen Edwards (owner of a successful...
March 3, 2014 Combined with an extensive vocabulary —- without something resembling a liberal arts education, in-depth thinking becomes restricted. It also follows that 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...