How to Estimate Time to Train
Traci: You had alluded to this a little bit in that answer that you just gave me. How do folks figure out how to estimate how long operators will need to complete a training program? You say that some folks aren't sure how long it's going to take. Is there a way to estimate it?
Dave: Well, yes, and you're going to estimate. If you're developing this training program and you've defined your objectives, your learning objectives, and the next step is developing the course plan. So, you, in your mind, are going to work through, okay, I'm going to spend half a day teaching them on this and then a half day on a simulator. And then, okay, so that's probably about two days of training to teach this objective.
In both a micro and a macro sense, what should happen is that as that program has progressed, at the end of it, when they're seeing, have they met the objective? If they haven't, you might say, "Oh, I need more time." So that's part of that feedback loop that you would correct it very quickly in that area. Then, on the macro level, each portion should have that feedback loop to say okay.
This is why I was harping on learning objectives, is you can say, "Yes, they have mastered this material in this amount of time," so we know they don't need more time. It's a matter of, okay, they've got the right amount of time. But that's not how it's done now. And too often, it's either the time is almost intentionally left open because they're trying to train all this material, and they're just exposing the trainee to it and hoping they absorb that information that's coming in.
They don't measure it, and they don't have those feedback loops to say, "Yes, this is the right amount of time, or it's not." Now, compounding that is you also have places where the time to train is they've just decided, this is how long it takes to train everybody anytime. It's usually like a nine-month program. But there's no account for, well, what if this person coming into your training is pretty experienced?
They came in from a plant that had just closed down, or they came in from the military. They're way up the learning curve, and yet you're requiring them to spend as long in training as the guy that's coming off the street. And so there really is no attempt to assess whether that training time is excessive. And that's a real hidden cost for these refineries because it's just buried in there.
Nobody thinks to ask the question, well, how much wasted time is there in training? And I believe for a large part because if they did that, they would be scared by the numbers that they saw coming out from it.
How to Optimize Training Time
Traci: Talking about that and the wasted time, some people are very knowledgeable in a facet and they don't need a whole bunch of training time. Are there strategies to help optimize training time while ensuring competency throughout this?
Dave: Yes, and that's where, again, the key is feedback, is you want to be able to look at these different levels, and particularly over time, you can track different learning styles, different methods of presentation, all the while getting the feedback on, okay, what was their level of performance and what type of learner were they, what did we put them through, did they come in with a lot of experience?
Well, they mastered the material in half the time of the novice. So we can build that into the training program, but it's all hinged on your ability to do an objective assessment of these different learners and what you're putting them into, then modify and be willing to modify the training program itself so that, okay, well, in the future, essentially, we're going to let you test out if necessary.
In other words, we want to optimize training time, so we only want you to spend the time and training that you need to spend in training. And anything above that, we're wasting our money on it. And so if they're achieving the objectives and you've written good objectives, then it should, by default, end up with the individual spending pretty much this is how long it takes to master these particular topics.
This becomes particularly important if you are looking to merge across different areas. In other words, I want to merge two areas that I have trained operators in those areas, but they're not trained in the other one. Do you put them through the same training program that you put the person off the street? A lot of companies do, and that takes months of additional effort than if you had just put them through the program and said, "Well, let's see." You can do it two ways.
You can say, "Well, let's just put them through the program, see where they're deficient, and then adapt to that and add on." Or you can essentially pre-test it and say, "Okay, well, we think we're going to have to add on... They need more understanding of compressors because they didn't have a compressor, or they need more information on hydrogen absorption because they didn't have a hydrogen absorber or H2S absorber." So, you can look at that and make the adjustments, but all of it is trying to create the best operator in the least amount of time.
Fast-Tracking the Superstars
Traci: Now, you're talking about deficiencies and looking at the deficiencies and how to bolster that, but are there aha moments where you're like, well, this person really grasps it and grasps it fast, and then they can maybe be fast-tracked to some other role in the company? In the facility, is that something that happens?
Dave: Well, it doesn't happen but probably should. And this is where, again, you would have the ability to define, know, wow, this person really, really knows this material. Most of us have gone through various levels of schooling, and high school graduation day. Hey, what was your grade point average? I was a 3.3. I was a 3.6, or whatever. There's no such thing in the operator world.
You can't say, "This was my training score," because they don't do it that way. They have no objective measure. It's really a pass-fail system. You either get out of the training or you don't. And so the aha is like, wow, this person really has this down, and we should be looking at helping them with opportunities in certain areas to advance.
So, if you could create that objective measure where you had a particular score and different aspects of what you're looking at, then once these people come in, you could clearly see it, "In this group, this person really has a grasp of what is going on. Where, over in this group, maybe not so much." One of the things that a lot of plants are trying to go to and they should are some of these soft skill training.
Well, this person, technically, they are just on the spot, but their interpersonal skills are very poor, or they're not a very good communicator. Again, if you had a score, it would be a lot easier to understand how you would want to utilize these people throughout their career or say, "Hey, we want you. Because you're so technically adept, we want to make sure we provide better communication skills or interpersonal skills or whatever to help you move through the company and benefit both yourself and benefit the company."
Benefits of Microlearning
Traci: Definitely, and it would stem the boredom or burnout that happens sometimes. If people see that they have a trajectory that they can follow and the company wants to help them with that, that seems like it would be a no-brainer for sure. You and I have talked about microlearning in the past, these little bursts of learning. And I just want to understand, how is a role in reducing overall training time? Is this something that can be implemented along with the training, and then it continues on?
Dave: Yes, absolutely. It's an ongoing program, and you should bring that up because the Center for Operator Performance is going to be undertaking a project this fall looking at using microlearning in terms of with experienced and inexperienced operators, how often do you expose them to it? Is it once a week, once every other week? That sort of thing. To a large extent, microlearning is there to help with the cognitive memory decline, the forgetting factor.
I learned it and I kind of forgot it. So, one of the best ways to prevent losing knowledge or skill is to rehearse it. So, whenever I rehearse something, I basically reset the clock because it activates all that initial training, and so now that memory decay is starting over. And the more you do that, not only does it reset the clock, but the decay isn't as great every time.
And so the hope is that with this microlearning, yeah, I can send an operator through this initial training program, and they master it at that point, but four years later, now is the first time they're going to have to utilize that training. And with microlearning, you're hoping that between the initial training and now four years later, they've had these little bursts where it's kept that fresh in their mind so that they can use that information anew.
And we've all run into that situation where we're presented with something, and you're like, "Oh, boy. Yeah, I remember reviewing that, but a long time ago." And so the idea is that micro training will keep that fresh as you're moving through, so that you don't have that memory skill degradation. That's inherent in us as human beings. Our brains are very efficient in the sense that, hey, I'm not going to store space for something that I'm not going to use.
You don't use it. It eventually gets dumped into some dusty bin in your brain. But this pulls it out, brings it up, and continues on. So, the Center for Operator Performance, we're going to do this project, try to understand a little bit better, how often do you give microlearning? What's the benefit that comes from it in terms of that retention of skill and knowledge?
But it's got a lot of potential as you move on. So just as oftentimes people will go to a YouTube video on, well, how do I repair these wheel bearings? You don't even have to run the video sometimes. The minute it comes up, you go, "Oh yeah, now I'm starting to remember again." And so it can provide that little memory boost or nudge that helps reactivate the memories that are stored in your brain.
Challenges in Training
Traci: It's funny how many weird memories are stored in our brain. And when you see it, the light bulb clicks on. Oh yeah, I remember that. So, yep, use it or lose it, for sure. Is there anything you want to add on this topic that maybe we didn't touch on that you think is important? Are there challenges to watch out for? Are there successes that you've seen in the past that might be a good tidbit to toss out?
Dave: Well, the challenge is that everybody thinks they're doing a good job. Everybody's an above-average driver, until there is something that comes out or some executive in a company says, "I think we can do better." At a certain level in here, nobody wants to say, "Hey, my training program is deficient. Because if they knew it, well, they would have changed it." So, there's a real veil that covers these training programs and how they're conducted.
I know one major company that's trying to fight this. And even they, it's a slow process. This one person said, "One of my trainers will come to me with a course they've developed." And he says, "Wow, that's really great. What are your learning objectives?" And they don't have any, which obviously should go the other way around. I should have learning objectives, and then I develop the course. And he says, "They're tired of hearing me say that, but that's what it takes."
So, it's going to take some people to force this different way of looking at the process and realize that this instructional system design is there to essentially create the best student in the least amount of time. And when they look at that, and maybe can start seeing how it can help them, then hopefully, we can start turning the training systems around.
Traci: Well, Dave, you always help us look at training in new ways. We appreciate that. You also help us to actually be good drivers and not just claim that we're all good drivers. So thank you for your time today. Folks, if you want to join us next time, we're going to finish up our six-part series on Flaws in Training, and we will be discussing evaluation.
If you want to stay on top of operator training and performance, subscribe to this free podcast via your podcast platform of choice, and you can learn best practices and keen insight from Dave and myself. You can also visit us at chemicalprocessing.com for more tools and resources aimed at helping you achieve success. On behalf of Dave, I'm Traci, and this is Chemical Processing's Distilled Podcast Operator Training Edition. Thanks for listening, and thanks again, Dave.
Dave: Thanks for having me, Traci.
