Over the past decade or so, advances in fleet maintenance technologies have enhanced the way managers go about their business. From GPS tracking systems and dashboard cameras to handheld inspection devices and parts ordering tools, technology has managed to improve efficiency, increase accountability, minimize downtime and boost overall performance.
But the benefits of implementing technology don’t have to end there. Technology can be utilized for training purposes as well. For numerous organizations, changes to the way employees learn about things like updated industry regulations or new business principles can’t come soon enough.
This is because there are fundamental flaws to traditional training techniques and approaches. Consequently, employees have no interest in learning, do not remember what they are being told, aren’t capable of applying new information at work and fail to reap the rewards that training potentially can afford.
However, there is an alternative. Once again, technology plays a crucial role.
The Trouble with Training
Irrespective of what employees need to up skill, there are numerous obstacles to overcome with training, which will negate what a fleet maintenance manager wants to achieve: reduced downtime and improved performance.
First and foremost, employees will be taken away from their place of work for a number of hours or even days, causing productivity to suffer.
The training they are attending might be taking place in an environment completely detached from their workplace. Therefore, when it comes to remembering and enacting newly acquired knowledge, they’ll have no frame of reference. To boot, classrooms and conference centers can be cold and lifeless places where employees quickly lose interest in the subjects being taught.
This isn’t helped by boring PowerPoint presentations narrated by uninspiring teachers. Numerous roles in the fleet maintenance industry involve practical, hands-on work, which doesn’t always translate to the written word.
On-the-job training is another option and perhaps the best fit for certain capacities, but this can have a negative effect on efficiency, too. The mentor also must have the ability to explain duties in detail and provide appropriate feedback for their students.
Not all training is doomed to fail from the start, but the chances of encountering at least one of these problems are quite high. This is where technology and a little bit of science come in.
Accelerated Learning
Rather than being fed an untold amount of information all in one go, our brains are much more likely to remember and learn new items when they are spaced out and repeated over a prolonged period of time.
This technique, called spaced repetition, is a form of accelerated learning and can dramatically improve anybody’s retention capacity.
The students receive short teachings of particular subjects and are asked how well they understand the content. Based on their comprehension and knowledge, gaps between each teaching will either increase or decrease. Eventually, the students will reach a stage where new information is embedded into their brains and can be recalled with the greatest of ease.
Although spaced repetition is routed in science, the increasing capabilities of personal computers and mobile devices has enabled developers to create software that recognizes the individual’s ability and schedules teachings accordingly.
Popular language learning apps have harnessed the power of spaced repetition and now enable anyone to pick up a few choice words and phrases while on vacation in a foreign land. But how can it work from a business’ perspective, particularly within the fleet maintenance industry?
Spaced Repetition
With a spaced repetition training solution, employees don’t need to leave the workplace. They can combine learning with daily responsibilities, have the option of participating at a time that suits them and, ultimately, increase their professional proficiency.
Spaced repetition applications are available on desktop computers and mobile devices, enabling employees to complete training on their daily commute, at their desk, during their lunch break or in the comfort of their own home. This eliminates the need to travel to a classroom training course elsewhere.
Some spaced repetition software also will take advantage of gamification, which turns real-world scenarios into games and puzzles, thus increasing employee engagement and encouraging competition between colleagues. This also brings about greater focus on the topics and course completion dates.
In addition, systems and applications are usually hosted in “the cloud,” which means there is no need for expensive and extensive software installations. Because the fact-spaced repetition exists in the cloud, it enables managers to adjust teachings as and when they see fit.
All the while, they have access to in-depth data about their employee’s activity. Therefore, they’ll know for sure whether training has been worthwhile and can decide to extend teaching further.
A Boost
Even if your employees are a knowledgeable and proficient group, there is always room for improvement. But in the same way technology has enhanced organizational efficiency and aptness, it also can do the same for employees.
Spaced repetition is a learning technique that works and can be utilized by any fleet maintenance firm wanting to boost the ability and competence of its workforce.
Jon Davies is the co-founder of training app Wranx (www.wranx.com). It provides continual training and assessment to help human resources and learning and development professionals extend their training and communication strategies out of the classroom and office.