Tailor-Made Training

Previous to using custom training, Enpath used classroom sessions and on-the-job coaching to fill the knowledge gaps; the new training will be more readily available. “The online units will be housed on an Enpath [Web] portal for their use and administration,” Wagner says. “They will also be housed on a [Normandale] portal for use by [the college’s] students in specific for-credit classes, or with other medical manufacturing clients in a customized format.”

Normandale conducted two cycles of their own interviews to assess and gather information about training and employee perception of training. The school’s staff found that most Enpath employees were trained by co-workers with the skills that trainees needed. However, Wagner notes, not all skilled workers are skilled teachers, so it was decided to take a more uniform approach to training.

Pixel Farm and Normandale used their research to create a proprietary process, called the Process and Procedure Configuration Simulator. It integrates a company’s written processes with online learning modules, and can be customized to different client needs. The simulator allows clients to conduct and update their training on line. Instead of updating procedures in text documents that are then distributed to employees, the simulator will make it easier to create new procedures; add, delete, or change steps in an existing process; use images and audio; track learner progress; and publish processes on line or as a PDF for distribution.

Several online learning modules allow Enpath employees to practice and demonstrate their measurement accuracy in simulated manufacturing situations. “An example of a module is ‘manufacturing measurements’ that challenges learners to observe and evaluate the details in a situation and determine the appropriate course of action,” Wagner says.

“The online units [are] made available to Enpath employees either as learning [modules] incorporated into existing classes, in independent learning lab situations, or as individual knowledge review and recertification activities for regulatory requirements,” Wagner says. She adds that these online modules meet three objectives:

• Training is accessible to employees with a range of skills, language, and work backgrounds.

• Employees learn the importance of and ability to measure accurately.

• Skills gained from training ensure the company manufactures high-quality products and protects consumers.

Employees with different learning styles can use audio, video, and images for certain steps, thus helping them to better retain what they learn.

Enpath is pleased with its training results; as the company continues to evolve—the training can evolve along with it.