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Energy industry is unique in its operation where most of its employees are situated in remote locations of production sites. Functioning in an emergency sector where production determines the cost, the industry is always under considerable pressure to reach optimal levels at all times. The technology used for exploration, extraction, refinery, and distribution is ever evolving and the employees need to be continuously trained on the latest tech for continued production.
The learning environment is also unique, as here the associates need hands-on guidance to learn to use the machinery, energy storage processes, energy management etc. For this, they usually first turn to their managers and supervisors who are experienced professionals. Peer-to-peer learning accounts for almost 55% of corporate training and it facilitates one of the most effective forms of learning – On-Job-Training.
Research led studies show that on the job training strongly affects creativity as it teaches problem solving skills, achieving organizational objectives and improves work quality. According to a Rand Corporation report, nearly a quarter of energy organization have high-priority occupations that require long-term on-the-job training. The report also suggested that employers seek workers with cross-cutting knowledge areas and skills. Employers want workers who can solve work-based problems, and who understand the fundamentals of administration and management. These cross-cutting knowledge areas and skills were more often reported as in demand by employers than occupation-specific ones. Understandably, these skills are not particularly taught as a part of any curricula in colleges because of which employees have to learn these at their jobs.
While informal learning from supervisor or colleagues is a great way of acquiring relevant knowledge, it lacks standardization where one team might be ahead of the others depending on the team lead they have. This is where the L&D teams of energy companies need to step up and figure out how to provide optimal on-job-training to all their employees so that they come up to the same level. It is important to keep in mind that the workers in this industry are continuously navigating difficult terrains, hazardous work conditions and trainings for them is not only about performance but safety & health as well.
Role of a Corporate Learning Management System to Deliver On-Job eLearning to Oil and Energy Workers
Accessible Anytime, Anywhere
The modern cloud-based, mobile learning management system is a boon for any industry looking to provide training to their remote workforce. The energy industry can benefit from the same by delivering standardized training to their workers located at the production sites. The LMS can extract information regarding job roles by integrating with the HRMS and automated workflows can be set to deliver the application-based training to perform a particular task. Similarly, periodic refresher training can be delivered via the LMS on important processes of drilling and production facilities, distribution logistics, risk & safety measures and more.
Cost Saving and Training Optimization
There are various kinds of industry trainings that the manager level employees have to go through in the energy industry. Courses on wholesale markets, contracts, retailing, emerging markets technologies, competition with alternative energies, environmental, safety and security issues etc. are topics for working professionals that organizations have to train their employees on. This is a huge cost for the L&D teams as it includes physical classroom trainings, providing with learning material, and then evaluation. Providing remedial training for the ones who do not perform well during evaluation incurs additional cost. Shifting this entire model to a digital platform and providing blended learning through online classroom trainings on an LMS along with eLearning material can prove to be highly cost-effective. Evaluation can also be done through an LMS with built-in On-Job evaluation feature and also remote proctoring. On an LMS, training materials are continuously available for the learner to pick up or refer to while actually performing a task or whenever they want. This is more helpful in the learning process than the back-to-back classroom sessions which becomes too heavy for the learner to comprehend in one go.
Tapping into Internal Talent
As discussed earlier, quite a bit of learning in the energy industry is peer-to-peer. The LMS gives a brilliant opportunity to create learning resources from the experience of senior employees. By using them as Subject Matter Experts, the organization can create a video library within the LMS which can be used as a training repository on critical processes of handling machinery or exploration or safety etc. The social interaction feature on a learning management system can be used as a platform where the employees post their queries and get answers from veterans creating a healthy learning culture within the organization.
According to statistics, only 1% of a work week is dedicated to learning. For a process heavy industry such as the oil, gas, and energy this is even. Having a learning management system to provide on-job training to the employees will enable them to access training more easily and at the time they need creating safer work environments and better business results. At G-Cube we are continuously innovating with all that can be done for better learning with technology, and we would love to talk to you more about the various possibilities of a Learning Management System. Write to us.
