I chose this article for review because, unusually in this particular journal, it is written by someone in an Learning & Development role in a major company, rather than the usual consultants selling their wares. I have always had a sneaking admiration for Dupont because of the association with the famous ‘Dupont Hierarchy’ of financial ratios which we have shown to countless non-financial managers over the years. (But I was rather taken aback one day when a manager from Dupont told me that he had never heard of ‘their’ hierarchy!).
Sam
Ponzo is ‘Practice Leader, Learning and Development’, an impressive title which
makes up for the name, which sounds more like a fictional character in a movie
about business fraud! His main focus is
employee rather than management skills but the principles apply across the
board; it is also important for MTP to remember that many of our clients and
contacts have development responsibilities that extend to all levels.
The
article is easy to read, thought provoking and certainly does have implications
across the board. It takes a macro
approach to Learning & Development thinking. The
author’s basic thrust is that the phenomenon of Baby Boomers has significant
implications for strategy and practice.
The Boomers - helpfully defined as those born between 1946 and 1964 -
apparently represent nearly half the workforce in Europe and will leave a
massive skills gap when they retire.
Though it could be argued that retirements might be delayed, the reality
is that many have retired already; the average retirement age for both men and
women is still below 60.
Thus the
Learning & Development challenge is to replace the skills that will be lost as 50% of the
workforce leave their jobs over the next fifteen years or so. The author asserts that 70% of training takes
place on the job - though disappointingly does not quote any source to back this
up – and uses this point to argue that those who are to retire will have to
spend a large part of their time transferring skills and knowledge to their
successors. And he suggests that the
economic stringency of the last few years has caused companies to delay their
plans to invest in solving the problem.
The
position is worsened by the fact that companies are ill prepared to cope with
the skills shortage because it has never happened before on this scale. There are further challenges because modern workforces
tend to be more dispersed and methods more complex than in the past. Processes are no longer simple and
repetitive; today’s workers require decision making as well as operating skills
and these are much more difficult to transfer to others.
It was
at this point that I began to wonder when the author was going to move on to
the realities of Dupont and the solutions they are putting in place. I have read too many articles on Learning & Development that define problems without suggesting solutions. The author does indeed move on though the
descriptions of their actions on the final page leave the reader wanting to
know more.
The main
elements of the solution have implications for management development and
reflect much of MTP’s approach to learning.
Dupont have developed learning solutions that blend classroom study with
lots of practical on-the-job training, turning their experiences into best
practices. There are tailored solutions
for each industry and there is a blended learning approach to design which
appeals to a range of learning styles.
Dupont takes into account the fact that
younger people - defined as ‘Milennials’ born between 1980 and 2000 and
who will mostly replace the Baby Boomers - prefer different approaches to
learning, with electronic equipment more prominent than the classroom.
I was
beginning to feel that all this was still rather theoretical when the author
came across with an example of the benefits.
Dupont claim to be able to simulate the experiences of an electrician
working in a chemical plant so well that a ten year apprenticeship can be
condensed into four or five months using the blended learning approach. The secret is in not separating the classroom
input from the practical experience but instead integrating the two elements.
The
other secret of success is to bring all trainees up to a similar level before
the mainstream learning commences, particularly important where common skills
are required from a range of backgrounds and countries of origin. Thus there are separate pre-course
educational options and strict application of entry criteria.
This is
an interesting article that makes you want to know more about the practical
application, a good indication of its quality.
It should give Learning & Development specialists in all areas pause for thought.
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