A recurring theme amongst packaging and processing professionals is the need to use technology to hone employee training. Using tools to individualize training materials to the needs of operators and tasks is key, and there are four ways industry professionals believe the goal can be achieved.
That’s according to PMMI Business Intelligence’s “Technology & Workforce: Using Smart Technologies to Bridge the Skills Gap,” a report that captures insight from packaging and processing end-users and OEMs on the role technology can play in addressing the increasing skills gap and the burden of costly training periods for new hires. The report stems from a Q&A session and roundtable discussions between expert panelists and industry participants at PACK EXPO International 2024.
Individualized training, data instrumentation, an ‘exploded view,’ and automation
One group from the first roundtable discussion suggested individualizing training to match each operator’s learning style, using media and animations to make content more engaging. High turnover rates call for training on fundamentals and troubleshooting to be delivered in a succinct, engaging format.
Building upon this idea, one table suggested embedding a multilingual avatar, or “personal assistant”, into the human-machine interface (HMI). This avatar would provide a personalized user interface, adapting to the operator’s language preference, skill level, and capabilities, and offering tailored instructions and feedback.
