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Making Training Effective Gordon Burleson, P.E. Reprinted with permission from Quality By Design Newsletter (904-260-7700). Spring/Summer 1995. The first time I realized the need for training experienced employees was in 1970. I w as a maintenance engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation watching an asphalt crew patch potholes using the old "pitch and slam" method. A shovel of asphalt mix was pitched into the hole and slammed with the shovel. I asked why they didn't use tack. square the hole. or pack the mix with a hand tamp. The answer: "We don't do that am more. Our supervisor said it took too long." From that day forward I took it upon myself to incorporate training into the way my unit did business. In 1974, I took my experience in training field personnel to Tallahassee. becoming the Florida DOT Maintenance Training Engineer and later the State Construction Training Engineer. It was when I moved to the State Maintenance Office that I found out how simple standup training is when compared with administering a large training program in an organization of 1().()00 employees. In 1974. training efforts ``ere applauded by management-- but not funded. I then discovered that no matter how much training is needed it is also the first item to be cut during budget crunches. When I retired in December 1992. training in the Florida D()T had become the order of the day. Effective training is not one person telling another person how to do something. Effective training occurs when a trainer transmits knowledge to trainees and the trainees change their work habits to perform a task correctly or more effectively each time. What I found most difficult to get across was understanding who is responsible for changing work habits. The natural response is obviously the trainer. but that is only partly right. The trainer is responsible for transmitting the knowledge but not responsible for executing the knowledge There are five levels within an organization that are responsible for effective training: Management: The Training Coordinator, The Course Trainer, The Trainee, and the Trainee's immediate Supervisor. Effective training begins with management making a strong commitment in action and example. The Florida Department of Transportation management acted by: - Committing funds solely for training. - Demanding people attend training even if it interfered with work. - Developing a system to reward learning effort - Assigning a full-lime training coordinator. Management's positive went a long long in showing the organization's true attitude toward training. But a quality training effort also needs a full-time coordinator, as a critical link between the trainer and the trainee. The coordinator will: - Help determine training needs. - Select the proper trainer. - Establish the knowledge, skill, and ability level of the trainees and make sure the presentation materials match the needs. - Inform supervisors of the knowledge, skill and ability level of the presentation so the appropriate trainees arc selected - Review the training effectiveness, making adjustments to match the presentation level to the trainee level. There should be a training coordinator at both the central office and district office level. Each field office also should have someone designated as a training coordinator. The course trainer's major responsibility is to present the training material on the same knowledge, skill, and ability level as the class. Listening to trainee responses to find out whether they understand the material, is very important. A review of exam results or evaluations with the coordinator is also essential. The trainer, however, cannot make the trainee use the material. Using the material is the sole responsibility of the trainees. They must attend the training with an open mind, ready to participate and learn If the trainee selection process has been followed. then a "know-it-all attitude does not exist and an atmosphere of learning has been established. The final responsible person in an effective training process is the trainee's immediate supervisor. Only a trainee and the supervisor can assure the knowledge gained is put into practice. Before training, the supervisor must emphasize to the trainee the importance of learning and applying the knowledge learned. After training, that emphasis must be continually reinforced on the job. At the Florida Department of Transportation, individual training is now mandatory for each employee. The result has been a better trained work force, better morale and increased productivity. All it took was a group of trainers 20 years to convince all the employees of the department that effective training was their responsibility, too. Adapted from The Project Manager Spring 1995. Gordon S. Burleson, P.E. is an instructor at the Technology Transfer Center at the University of Florida. He may be reached at (904) 386-6927. Return to Training Project Managers Monograph Return to the Association for Project Managers Main Page Email the Association for Project Managers
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