Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1464867
18 PCB007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2022 these are really complex topics, and you want to make sure that someone can apply it in a practical manner immediately. With something like the entry-level oper- ator training program, we do it as an online, self-paced program. Our system is designed to identify the knowledge this candidate already has. It utilizes a variety of different method- ologies, videos, interactive elements, games, and activities, along with a virtual instructor to teach them at the pace they need to learn. If they already know it, they can go through it rather quickly. If it's something they don't understand, they can spend more time to deeply understand. Every five to seven minutes, the program asks the operator to apply what they're learn- ing. ese intervals are intentional because this is an onboarding program; to a lot of them, it's brand-new material. You want to be sure they understand this concept; that they're able to apply this concept before you teach them the next one. Matties: As the online data is capturing their progress, you're essentially able to watch them learn, see where they grasp a concept, and really apply it, vs. struggling to sort it out. Hernandez: Not only are we tracking all that, but we're refining the program based on that data. We can understand where people are having trouble. "Maybe this needs more expla- nation. Where are people spending the least amount of time? Maybe we're going too deep there." We can adjust all this on a regular basis, based upon the data and analytics that we col- lect from users. We also work with a lot of organizations that run their own internal analytics, and so we're able to get feedback from them, like, "is has cut down our average training time of new operators by this much." We had a case study done recently where they let us know that they cut down new training time for operators by over 60%. Matties: at's amazing. Hernandez: ey're able to track it internally, and share it with us, which helps to refine the product. Again, it's an industry product; they designed the product for their own use, which is why it's so efficient and why they're getting such good results. It also means that they're will- ing to share that information with us because ultimately, they're the ones gaining the benefit. Matties: Now, when it comes into actual learn- ing inside the facility, obviously the company must make an investment into that resource and have it available when it's needed. Hernandez: As someone who has spent his entire career as an educator promoting the idea of education technology, I can tell you emphat- ically that there are some things you can't learn to do well online. Our philosophy with these programs is to utilize the technology to effi- ciently teach what we can online, and then help organizations to identify what should be taught in person to augment this learning, and at what point. For example, these programs for the oper- ators include instructor guides and organiza- tional guides; it's what we call "operational hands-on." We tell them, "Once they've com- pleted this, you should take them out onto the floor and do X, Y, and Z to reinforce what they learned in theory." ey may not have a for- malized in-person training program, but this is giving them the roadmap or blueprint on how to do that. Matties: If we focus on just-in-time train- ing, you're going to have a much higher and quicker return on your investment for that per- son, that's for sure. Hernandez: Absolutely. Matties: An important message for industry is to place a high value on that training program,