June 15, 2008

Focus on O&M (June 2008)

Tailored training

It should go without saying that a successful training program must be customized to a specific facility and its workforce. But customizing has many dimensions. One that may be apparent is training personnel to operate the unit within its original design specifications. For example, in a competitive environment, it may pay to overload a unit during peak periods because purchased-power rates are so much higher than usual. Additional revenue may more than compensate for any damage to equipment that must later be corrected. But operators must be trained to understand when the economics may be appropriate for such action. They also must be trained to keep a closer watch on all critical parameters as the unit operates in an overload condition and recognize that planned maintenance intervals will shorten and consumption of consumables, such as lubricating oils, will increase (Figure 2).

2. Improved lubrication processes. Proper lubrication practices can’t be taught in the classroom; they require that trainees reach out and touch the equipment. A good example is the “Grease Caddy” that senses high-frequency emissions produced by bearings and tells users when to lubricate, when not to lubricate, and when to stop lubricating to optimize bearing life. Courtesy: UE Systems Inc.

The following specific tips for customizing training should help you achieve the results you’re hoping for.

Make it flexible. Corporate-directed programs are great for the corporate training department and make class planning, development, and record-keeping easy. But standardized programs are not great for the individual power plant. Each plant’s needs should be assessed and then the training customized to meet those needs.

Hold students accountable. At many plants attendance is the only measured parameter for a training program and suffices for a passing grade. But merely attending training is of no benefit, other than fulfilling environmental- or safety-legislated requirements. The effectiveness of training somehow must be measured, with written tests, student presentations, mandatory question-and-answer sessions, and the like.

Make it challenging. Most power producers have established standards for recurring, or recertification, training. Nobody doubts the need for such programs, given the limitations of our human storage banks and the complexities of power plants, but recurring training must be carefully designed and administered so that veteran workers aren’t bored or, worse, intellectually insulted. Recurring training should enhance professionalism, emphasizing the latest technical developments and new maintenance tools. It’s a good idea to have experienced, credible instructors for every training class, but it’s essential to have them for recurring training. Power plant veterans are an incredibly critical bunch—often rightly so—and therefore there’s no way an inexperienced instructor or a cheap CD-ROM training program can hold their attention or answer all their questions. Even grizzled old instructors should encourage heavy student participation during recurring training.

Maintain management responsibility. Many line managers have abdicated responsibility for training to a staff member—often one who’s a young, liberal-arts-educated professional instructor. There may be nothing wrong with the staffer’s abilities, but without strong, continuous backing from the managers and supervisors, the training program will be ineffective. If training is truly important to you as a manager, you should show it, not just say it. For example, you can make it a habit to let the training department lead off every staff meeting. Also, you can regularly sit in on training classes, not just as a bored observer, but as an active participant with an open, eager-to-learn mind.

Build it into the schedule. All too often people return from training sessions to find themselves badly behind in their regular work. That’s a sure sign that training is not being treated as an important part of the job. Just as time is allocated for measuring vibration levels and sampling water chemistry, time must be allocated for the learning process.

Serve it up in digestible amounts. Operators and technicians often think of training as either punishment or an endurance contest. To avoid this, break up the sessions and the topics into bite-sized chunks. If your trainers aren’t interactive, dynamic, interesting people, get new ones.