IS REMOTE TRAINING THE NEW NORMAL?
Mike Hook, Intergas Training Manager, has created Intergas Live Training to deliver in-depth training remotely. We want to resume hands-on training at our training venues around the country as soon as it’s safe to do so but, maybe this COVID-19-induced activity has a longer life than we imagine. We asked Mike to give us his view:
‘As a training manager with over 20 years’ experience in various training roles, I’ve always had to be flexible and adapt to changing market conditions. Once I realised the pandemic was going to have much longer-lasting effects on installers’ ability to attend training, I had to substantially rethink how we deliver effective training across a broad range of topics from servicing and maintenance to fault finding and X-Plan . Now, in the mornings (from 10.00 – 13.00) I run short online drop-in sessions for single installers. In the afternoons, where the sessions are booked through the sales managers, I train with small groups of installers, usually between six and ten. Here I cover the theoretical side of things relatively easily, providing everyone has good sound and a stable internet connection to their devices; when it comes to the practical aspects of training, it’s now crucial that I get the camera angles right.
‘Of course, it’s not the same as having everyone in the same room. When we’re all together I can tell when I’m getting information across and when it’s not hitting home; and the direct feedback during a session often leads to more in-depth discussion which is invaluable. I believe this kind of interaction will transfer to remote training as everyone becomes more used to it. There are benefits too. Logging on to a training session takes seconds, so gone are the hours of driving to reach the training venue, as are the vehicle emissions that come with those journeys. Attendees ‘arrive’ fresher and never worry about the return journey!’
