Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/957021
"Some companies do want technicians to have certification as a prerequisite for a job. At this level, there's already been a pre-awareness for the knowl- edge, and that education is the impetus for change." Christenson has a lengthy history as an educator and instructional course designer. Prior to joining Noria, he was the senior learning manager at the University of Phoenix, leading training facilitation, deployment of operational programs and diagnosis and coaching of staff and leadership for three territories. Before that, he served as the campus college chair for the University of Phoenix and computer graphics chair for the Career Education Corporation. Having been at Noria for five years, Christenson has thrown himself into revamping the training program. "For the first two years, my time was spent getting our content into a logical f low and working with our instructors on stan- dardizing their approach," he says. Prior to Christenson's arrival, Noria's training courses needed the addition of interactive experiences which lead to applied learning. This approach greatly increases comprehension and retention. With this focus on the student's experi- ence, Noria's courses are aligned with the needs of adult learners – a concept which is gaining momentum within the ever- evolving workplace. With adult learners, their learning styles are different than traditional students, and the training approach and deliver y needs to ref lect that. Adult learners, defined as a person who is older than 25 and involved in forms of learning, are typically employed full-time, looking to enhance their professional lives through education and use their personal experience as a resource (Pappas). Keeping adult learners in mind, Noria divided its training model into three facets. First, the trainings are designed for utilizing the student's experience to unlock new knowledge. Then, the train- ings help the students internalize the new concepts by relating it to their individual experiences. Lastly, students gain confir- mation of the training's importance through in-class discussions. "It's important to have a time where participants ref lect, talk about their experiences and have the instructor record those experiences on a board. That way, every time someone references his/her experience, the class can go back to that issue and discuss it," Christenson says. "It's a slight position change from telling someone what is good to showing them what is good, and being able to show change is powerful." Noria's model suppor ts evidence from a recent study that showed how adult learners need to make the connec- tion from the curriculum and program content to workplace performance and career development to promote contin- uous learning behaviors (Yoo and Huang, 2013). "By using the adult learning approach, we can break down the mindset of 'We do it this way because this is the way we've always done it' and show how education is catalyst for change," Chris- tenson says. With its continual focus on evolving and improving their courses, Noria is also prepared to aid facilities experiencing generational changes in its workforce, particularly since the maintenance and reliability industry is on the cusp of its own "Great Crew Change," a term recently used during the 2016 downturn in the oil and gas industry that referred to the large workforce generation gap and subsequent talent shortage. "In five to 10 years, a lot of institu- tional knowledge – from veteran employees – will be leaving as these v eterans transition into the next phase of their career, and possibly retirement," Christenson says. In response, he believes companies are starting to realize the need to change their reliability approach from reactive to proactive. "When bringing in a new workforce, you want to ensure they are learning good, structured processes rather than what passed through the grapevine." Christenson's ultimate goal is for Noria to be the world-renowned source for applied knowledge. "Through knowl- edge, we want to spark that need for change and with our hands-on courses, we want to show you how to make that change." Through knowledge, we want to spark that need for change and with our hands-on courses, we want to show you how to make that change. " 5