No one doubts that
there is a continuing need for technical training in the metalworking industry.
There is also no doubt that traditional sources of training have largely
disappeared. Seminars and text-based and video-based presentations can be
expensive to attend or inconvenient to schedule without interrupting
production.
Entry-level training is just the tip of the iceberg
when it comes to training needs in metalworking manufacturing today, according
to Jack Schron Jr., president and CEO of Jergens Inc., Cleveland, OH.
“There is a need for training that reaches all the way
from the shop floor to management levels,” says Schron. “Its goals include
training young people, keeping pace with advanced technology, meeting
documentation requirements for ISO certification, as well as training sales
personnel in distribution companies.”
It was with this larger training need in mind and
cognizant of what the Internet can really do—i.e. deliver a lot of information
on demand—that led Schron to develop and launch an online university, called
ToolingU.
ToolingU is designed to provide web-based training of
in-depth real-world technical content tailored to the trainee’s need at the
basic, intermediate and advanced levels.
“The courses are designed by experts to be current,
relevant and interactive,” says Schron. Coursework offers detailed instruction
using audio, text, photographs and illustrations, as well as full-motion video,
pop-up keyword glossaries and links to relevant websites.
The program is interactive. As students work through
their programmed course units, they can ask questions of faculty members
associated with each department or communicate with other students on a message
board or in a chat room. Or they can visit a Reading Room or browse through a
fully operational Bookstore.
In cases where the student’s Internet connection is
too slow, a multimedia CD-ROM is supplied to supplement the course work.
Lessons can even be downloaded to handheld PDA devices for anytime, anywhere
studying.
Topics are developed in conjunction with leading
companies as sponsoring expert resources. “These are not commercials, nor are
they intended to be,” says Schron. Sponsors do have broad rights, however, to
employ ToolingU material in their own internal and external training and
marketing programs.
To date, course offerings and their sponsors
include metalcutting (Valenite), workholding (Jergens), CNC (Cuyahoga Community
College), and materials (Castle Metals). Future department offerings will
include metalforming (Dayton Progress), material handling (Crane Training),
quality and welding, among others.
Yes, there is accountability.
Quizzes complete each unit assignment, allowing
students and/or their employers to monitor their progress through the program.
Registration at ToolingU entitles the student to
access the course or department material for one full year. A demonstration and
information about registering at ToolingU are available by visiting
www.toolingu.com