New Electronic
Technology
Reduces Training Time
By
Jeanie McKay
NOVA Quality Communications
How long does it take to train new employees at your company? Once they are trained, how much more time does it take before they stop making mistakes or asking for help in unfamiliar situations? Wouldn’t it be slick if people you hired could perform their jobs better from day one?
The
typical methods used in training today are borrowed from 19th
century public education. Until the 1960s, the only model for
transferring knowledge was Socratic dialogue and apprenticeships. That
changed only because the number of people needing training grew too
large for one-on-one methods.
Group training worked well in simpler times, but today’s work complexity and the instability of information have brought our classroom training model into question. We have been unable to raise performance levels to their desired state quickly enough to satisfy the needs. But letting go of old learning frameworks and training methods is hard for those of us who were trained in traditional classrooms. Recently we have some success with online training modules. In many instances, however, we merely replaced our classrooms and paper-based texts with online reading assignments, mouse-click tests and flashy games and graphics.
So, with new technology looming on the horizon, is there anything coming that will better solve our universal employee performance crisis? As a matter of fact, there is! Electronic Performance Support Systems (EPSS) are promising gains in training and performance improvement solutions.
What is an Electronic Performance Support System?
An EPSS is a computer program designed to guide workers through their training—while they’re doing the job. While traditional training requires employees to learn everything from an instructor ahead of time, the information may be forgotten by the time the person needs it. In contrast, a worker can access an EPSS when they need help. The system combines the power of on-the-job training with electronic job aids, references and database access. In addition, the system can help workers make good decisions and prevent mistakes.
An EPSS can be programmed to include any form of information that might help an employee complete the work task. It might contain video or audio clips, job aids, wizards, Web-site links or instant database information?
Can my employees benefit from this new training technology?
Performance support training is rapidly emerging. This technology is becoming successfully implemented across the globe in office environments, medical centers, laboratories, financial institutions and on production lines. Some of the systems are small enough in scale to be worn hands-free on workers’ bodies for instant access. If your company has specific needs that current training has failed to improve, EPSS technology is definitely worth investigating. When properly implemented, an EPSS can ultimately reduce errors, save you thousands of dollars in training expenses and lost labor hours, and aid new employee productivity beginning right on day one.
©Jeanie McKay,
2001
NOVA Quality Communications
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