Self-Directed Learning: A Key Ingredient For Comprehensive Training Curriculum

摘要

The importance of a competent, well-trained workforce in sustaining a competitive business edge is well understood. This article introduces the notion of self-directed learning as a viable approach to complementing gas-utility training programs.rnOverall, gas utilities provide excellent training for their employees through well-designed courses and workshops. These sponsored programs cover such areas as job-specific duties and responsibilities, safety procedures and management functions. When an organization drives learning with sponsored programs, the employee is told what to do to properly do the job in accordance with organizational and industry standards. Typically these sponsored programs arerncomplemented by on-the-job training (OJT).rnSuch training has been deemed adequate by the utilities. But, is it really? We would suggest that it is fine as far as it goes, but more can be done, as alluded to in a recent edition of the comic strip, Frazz. Talking about training, Frazz's friend laments: "Half of what I learn,rnI'm going to forget. The other half will become obsolete." While this comic strip observation is accurate, the problem is not unique to utilities. The problem is inherent in all sponsored training programs due to the very nature of formal training itself. People tend to forget what they don't frequently use or apply.