The FST Academy offers a broad array of virtual courses. While many employees are already using this approach to learning, it still offers potential for training employees who work in production.
The job of an HR business partner is to create value for its most important stakeholders and to help the company find success in the market. One way to promote this vision is to convey key know-how to employees. E-learning is the state-of-the-art approach to transmitting knowledge.
In 2019, the HR department of the Lead Center Simmerrings® Standard (LC SI Standard) in Opatovice nad Labem in the Czech Republic decided to begin developing e-learning courses in the Czech language. The courses are mainly geared to production workers. In 2020, coronavirus restrictions made in-person training impossible, so alternatives were needed. Training programs had to be created for workers. And they had to be available fast.
One project in the “Focus Setting Digitalization” initiative in the Oil Seals Industry Division had the goal of developing e-learning programs and coming up with an effective approach to give the employees access to the lessons. At the same time, the management team for LC SI Standard in Opatovice nad Labem felt strongly about improving employees’ computer skills. Those capabilities are an important prerequisite for the development of Industry 4.0.
The site now has an e-learning course that can meet legal requirements and refresh the students’ knowledge of Freudenberg safety standards and other security measures. The personnel department at Opatovice nad Labem developed it in concert with local Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) officials and the team leader of the injection molding business unit. “It was our goal to develop a training program that contributes to a strong safety culture and heightens employees’ awareness of potential risks. The e-learning is geared to the needs of our setters since it contains, for example, our risk register and all the safety instructions that they need to internalize,” said Vladimira Schmidt, an HR specialist at LC SI Standard. Marian Hajdák, who is in charge of the HSE department at the location, added: “I think the main advantage of internally developed e-learning is that we can quickly adjust the content, for example, on the basis of current accident analyses or changes in the working conditions.”
Passing tests
In June 2021, nearly 70 fitters successfully completed the online training. The participants had to pass a test with ten questions at the end. “Although our lean admin engineer was on site and ready to assist the students with potential problems, they did not need the help. The participants made it through the virtual training without difficulty. An e-learning session, as opposed to training in a physical classroom, saves time, makes it possible to adhere to current Covid-19 safety measures, and offers greater flexibility, which has a positive impact on productivity. We are already planning an identical training session for all of our machine operators,” said Radek Šťastný, Team Leader of the injection molding business unit.
Access without an fst email address
Software recommended by the FST Academy was used in the development of the virtual courses, and it is totally compatible with the Learning Management System (LMS). Working with the FST Academy, the HR department in Opatovice nad Labem is testing the equipment and the use of LMS accounts for employees who do not yet have an FST email address. “As soon as the employees get their own LMS accounts, the process is tightened up and data are transmitted into Workday via an interface. I am very pleased with the positive feedback from employees and managers. Our QM manager and I have already started to draft a concept for an e-learning course to communicate required expert knowledge about our quality management system. It covers how Simmerrings® function, along with their use and potential defects,” Schmidt said.
