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Free Curriculum Covers Soft Skills for Young Workers

“Skills to Pay the Bills: Mastering Soft Skills for Workplace Success” covers these topics: communication, networking, enthusiasm and attitude, teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, and professionalism. “Dressing appropriately, showing up on time, and networking with co-workers are all crucial to finding and keeping a job,” said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. […]

12 Tips to Engage Employees in Safety Training

Hold formal safety meetings on a regular basis. Supplement those meetings with brief, informal sessions. Keep meetings to a reasonable length. Plan well in advance and have an agenda for each meeting. Make sure you have full management support for training efforts. Bring in managers from other parts of the facility and outside experts to […]

Gamification Drives Engagement in Leadership Program

The DLA (www.deloitte.la) is a fully digital executive training program used by more than 10,000 senior executives at over 150 companies worldwide, including all Deloitte partners in Australia and the United Kingdom and some in the United States, Mexico, China, and Russia, says James Sanders, DLA manager. The self-paced program, which is offered both to […]

Variety of Techniques Gives New Spin to Refresher Safety Training

Varying your techniques during refresher training will keep learners engaged. Here are a few suggestions on how to accomplish this: Do a demonstration (e.g., demonstrate the effectiveness of a steel-toed shoe by dropping a weight on it). Incorporate real-life accident or near-miss stories. Have learners pair off and do an activity, such as a joint […]

Ask the Trainer: Lean Six Sigma

A: Whether your company hires a third-party vendor to provide training on Lean Six Sigma or tackles training in-house, there are a few factors that will help ensure training success, says Jason Piatt, president of Praestar Consulting (www.praestar-consulting.com). First, he recommends finding an executive who will act as a champion of the Lean Six Sigma […]

Case Demonstrates Importance of Training on Same-Sex Harassment

What happened In April 1990, “Kerry” was hired as a parole officer by the New York State Division of Parole. In February 2005, “Shannon,” a female area supervisor, was transferred to oversee the Queens, New York, office where Kerry worked. Kerry alleged that on three occasions between mid-April and mid-September 2005, Shannon sexually harassed her […]

Utilities Company Creates Programs to Fuel Leadership Pipeline

Those challenges included recognition that a large percentage of industry leaders would be retiring within a few years, and that regulatory and infrastructure requirements were changing rapidly, reports Korn/Ferry International (www.kornferry.com), a provider of talent management solutions. In partnership with Korn/Ferry, OGE (www.oge.com) developed the Coaching for Effectiveness and Foundations of Leadership programs. Offered to […]

Ask the Trainer: Social Media Tools

A: Social media tools offer enhanced opportunities for learning outside of training courses, and companies are increasingly using these tools to support informal learning, says Jane Bozarth, author of Social Media for Trainers (www.bozarthzone.com). Social media can help learners stay connected—and keep the training topic in mind—long after a course is completed. Social media also […]

Contractor Cited for Violations Points to Toolbox Talks in Its Defense

What Happened Gioioso Sons, Inc., constructs and installs water supply and sewer pipes. On July 10, 2009, while the company was performing trenching work to install water service lines at a Boston worksite, a compliance officer for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) arrived for an inspection. The compliance officer saw a Gioioso employee […]