Leverage New Learning Methods In Food Manufacturing

By Siobhan Welch

Today’s manufacturing workers are diverse, spanning generations, education, and cultures. Finding universal ways to effectively train all workers is key to maintaining quality and safety on the floor. Challenges posed by the worksites and diverse workforce make it difficult for manufacturers to stay up to date on the latest learning science. However, much of the corporate world is catching up to innovations in training, and a more interactive, learner-centric style of instruction is becoming widespread. As more industries begin to employ learning methods that appeal to younger generations, why not apply these same principles to manufacturing training, too?

Traditionally, manufacturing training has been top-down and long form. While this was efficient time-wise, the drink-from-the-firehose method is too passive to truly sink in for visual or kinetic learners. Plus, these methods don’t test comprehension or reinforce learning. Active learning, for example, uses strategies that gain and keep learners’ attention throughout the learning process. Subsequent reinforcement solidifies learning to become correct behavior. Continue reading to learn more about active learning and other innovative methods based on recent science, such as micro-learning, learning moments, and storytelling that have been proven to help make knowledge stick. In turn, the higher knowledge retention makes workers more confident on the floor, which makes them more likely to stick around.