Impossible Learning in Heavy Industry
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Learning to troubleshoot
Traditional trade and operator apprenticeships don't provide enough systems learning and problem solving training. Most of the people who end up maintaining complex industrial systems or mobile machines want to do better. They want better understanding and they want their questions answered. They are good with their tools and with components and materials.
Logical Analysis
Analyze the circuit and narrow down to the prime suspects!
For many the struggle comes when a process, hydraulic or electrical system exhibits some unusual behaviors. How to understand the system parameters and functions. How to simplify the complex. How to analyze it logically and break it down into sub-systems and components. How to narrow down the prime suspects in the system and ultimately, the cause.
Remaining frustrated on these points feeds all kinds of other interpersonal problems in the maintenance crew and the within the work teams.The real problems behind much of all this started back in grade school.
Many engineers have good analytical skills but there are only a few of them in a heavy industrial complex and often they are not well integrated into the maintenance team.
These issues above could spawn volumes of additional essays on the source of the problems.
Of course there are excellent tradespersons out there. I know some of them personally. Most of them are compelled to teach and are a part of the solution. So that's a very good thing.
Bring training to life and engage the learner!
Solutions such as machine specific interactive simulations provide rigour and relevance.
What do the industrial sites do to solve the problems they have with systems maintenance and systems diagnostic skills? They host training sessions on-site. What are most of these training sessions like? Slides...slides and more slides. Images and bullet points and then more images and bullet points...zzzzzz! Not much real learning here!
What to do? Host a 'junkyard wars' competition. Turn the plant engineer into a passionate educator and trainer. Do the same with the tradespersons as they have valuable things to teach each other too. Create simulators and simulations so that trainees can blow up the plant safely! Create proper and useful job aids. Oh that's just the tip of the list. But there definitely needs to be way more creativity and more learning through playing. This year - 2009 - there is absolutely no choice but to learn. Being taught of course is not the same as learning!
The top level curriculum
Many can stretch to higher heights!
I started this enterprise ten years ago after a seven year stint teaching high school. I taught kids that they could do a lot more than they realize. I taught them to aim high and attempt the impossible in original design engineering and creative problem solving. Why? Because the impossible is not all that impossible. I had technical colleges coming by for recruiting visits to say that my grade 11 & 12 students were doing second and third year college projects. Many of these kids are now engineers and technologists and entrepreneurs.I left the high school environment to take my passion for learning and problem solving to industry. Has it been easy? No it has not. Heavy industry is slow to learn and very slow to change. But I remain convinced that there are excellent ways to motivate the teams that look after complex industrial systems. They can learn to really learn again. They can create original solutions and find great monetary and personal satisfaction in their work. Boy can it ever make a difference to profitability and relative job security too!
My company designs, implements and delivers training programs of a different kind. The kind that get the creative juices flowing again. But we're still only just beginning in that we haven't quite rolled the big boulder to the top of the mountain yet. Watch out!
Short industrial lessons for free!
Hydraulics, PLCs, Electrical, Process, and Training Issues
If you sign up for the full 'Newsletter that Teach' on this blog, then you get login access to interactive animated teaching tools as well. This is free teaching with no strings attached.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byP.S. Be a training and learning champion!
Take a leadership role in your department
If you work in any heavy industry, or for that matter if you work in any complex institution, start thinking about what you could do to change how you and your colleagues learn. Think about how you could teach and how you might host dynamic training events and find and gather good resources to stimulate learning and improved performance.This year excuses such as "I don't know how to do that" or "they haven't trained me on that yet" or "I was never any good at that" won't cut it. Decide to learn and to take on impossible projects.
Shake up, freshen up your thinking
Awesome perspectives from authors with great volumes
Interactive Animated Schematic Sample
Master the system and be confident!
Industrial Learning in 2009 - to do
1. Schematics up to date?
2. Engineering and mfg's data organized - close at hand?
3. Preventative maintenance plan optimized?
4. Battle readiness plan? tools, instruments, parts, phone numbers
5. Motivate team members to own, champion, master a chunk of the system! (autonomy and accountability)
Reader Feedback
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eilatan
Mar 16, 2009 @ 3:26 pm | delete
- Hey Carl, exellent job putting you information and knowledge out ther for the rest of us. You are already making a difference so keep up the great work. Natalie B
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clouda9
Feb 11, 2009 @ 2:15 pm | delete
- I really appreciate your thinking here...encouraging and fostering new ways to see things is a real positive approach to this rather complex process. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
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reasonablerobinson
Feb 11, 2009 @ 1:31 pm | delete
- Great lens Carl for specialised learning. i wasn't aware of this material. I've learned something today - best RR!
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Fertilizer Bin
Articles, sites, blogs, and resources for industrial trainers
- Effective Learning - Tips for Effective Learning
- Discover tips from psychology for effective learning. Improve your learning efficiency, study skills and memorization abilities.
- CD Industrial Group - Industrial Training
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- Training for the Future
- No single magic idea will solve your skilled labor shortage. But you can make a difference by using several options-with a dose of creativity. - article from Wood Industry Magazine
- Michael Maser's Blog
- My blog is education-focused, and especially oriented toward innovative education, holistic learning, learner's rights, multiple intelligences, brain-based learning, and empowering future generations with the skills and dispositions that will, in all probability, be much more valuable down the road than what is being rewarded in conventional schooling today.
My New Industrial Learning and Leadership Blog
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by CarlDyke
I'm a passionate industrial educator. I lead a team of expert training developers who bring complex systems to life in interactive animated form.
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