The energy industry is constantly evolving. Knowing when and how to get your team the skills they need to stay relevant and competitive in today’s job market can be tough. Investing in your workforce through training (both formal and informal) can make a big difference in both the retention and longevity of your talent, as well as in the skills that they are able to bring to the job.
The rapid evolution of technology and tools shaping the industry are difficult to stay on top of. But if you notice you are hiring people with completely different skill sets than what you built your career on, you know that it’s time to invest in some new skills to stay on top of the curve. But doing so doesn’t have to mean going back to school full stop. There are many flexible training programs and professional development programs that offer the opportunity to learn new skills and explore new interests. Here’s a look at just a few opportunities that are better suited for a seasoned professional.
Targeted Education and Training Programs
Encouraging your team to refresh their skills through targeted education or training programs can help prepare them for growth opportunities within your company and within their current role. This is especially helpful for those individuals interested in staying within their current industry yet increasing levels of responsibility and strategic tasks to continue on their chosen career path. This sort of training is often encouraged and sometimes even funded by the companies to help foster leadership progression from within a company. This cuts back on the expense and time required to recruit and hire externally and additionally creates a long-term sense of loyalty and commitment that is difficult to find from short-term employees. Make sure you are competitive within your industry by offering training programs that will make your employees hyper-relevant to the current industry offerings. Otherwise, you can be sure one of your competitors will.
Relevant Training Programs
Knowing what training is important is the first step in making it available to your team. While the exact programs may vary for every company, here are a few general areas that will apply to most organizations that rely on industrial heating equipment for their day-to-day operations.
General Training
Helpful for both new hires and your long-term staff, general training can help employees understand their roles and the tasks they are expected to perform on a regular basis. This training should help them to become comfortable with the routine tasks they handle and guide them towards becoming so familiar with what they do that it becomes almost second nature. It should also familiarize them with the resources they have on hand to help them on a regular basis, like equipment manuals and knowledgeable supervisors. You want your team members to be able to work efficiently and effectively, and providing them with comprehensive general training is a great way to help them do so.
Generally, a good rule of thumb is to do plant operator training at least annually – though for most organizations, training more frequently than once a year is better.
Safety Training
Safety is another somewhat obvious area where plant employees should be thoroughly and frequently trained. From knowing how to prevent hazards to understanding how to handle dangerous situations that could arise, safety training is key to keeping plant operators safe and your plant’s operations running smoothly.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
A healthy maintenance culture is an important thing to implement in your plant for a number of reasons, and providing maintenance training is a key part of that. Training employees about the value of maintenance and informing them of the actions they should take on a regular basis to ensure that equipment and facility maintenance remains a priority should definitely be an item on your training to-do list.
Troubleshooting and problem solving is another beneficial area to provide training in. If employees know how to safely and effectively rectify issues that come up with equipment or certain procedures, they can get things back up and operating at 100% capacity much faster than would be possible if a technician had to be called in.
Plant Shutdown Procedures
Plant shutdowns are sometimes inevitable, and – whether expected or unexpected – when they do occur, it’s best to have employees in place who know how to handle them. Training plant operators and employees on plant shutdown management and reviewing the shutdown procedures to follow is well worth your while because it can help to make outages go more smoothly.
For more tips on how best to stay relevant in a fast-changing industry, connect with the team at ESGI staffing today.
