Sam Lewis
Delta Training Partners
4020 Oleander Dr., Suite 2, Wilmington, NC 28403
SLewis@deltatraining.com

Peter Collins
Andritz, Inc.
10745 Westside Parkway, Alpharetta, GA 30004
Peter.Collins@andritz.com

Training: Expense or Opportunity?

An effective training system can be one of the few constants within a mill's operation. Processes change, bosses come and go, but if a good training system is employed, workers have continuous, stable resources for performance support.

Unfortunately, industry volatility makes it difficult to establish these vital support systems. It's hard to add to training overhead when the emphasis is on cutting costs. Another stumbling block: traditional attitudes about training.

Many of us see training as a nettlesome burden, an expense we can choose to keep or cut depending on this year's budget. The reality is different. The fact is, whether efforts are formalized or not, you are spending money on training.

The cost may be buried in wasted man-hours, misinformation and operating accidents, but it is there. The real question is, "Are you getting your money's worth?" Many of us also see training in terms of our own school experience. You go to class, you take a test, you pass the course. But with training, passing a test is a means to an end. The real goal is the ability to perform job tasks, and to react wisely to upset conditions or safety hazards.

Consider two examples. If my job is to hit a baseball over a fence, how will you judge me? By my score on a hitting quiz or my demonstrated ability to hammer the ball out of the park?

If my job is to correct a dangerous condition during boiler operation, how am I measured: by my test score on a safety orientation or my ability to perform under pressure?

Building skills requires more than just exposure to a class or a quiz. Practice and coaching are also essential. Verification of ability should involve measuring how much is learned, and how well it can be applied to work.