Special Offer to South Carolina Manufacturers – REMINDER – Deadline Approaching!
Proactive Technologies, Inc. announced in November, 2015 a special opportunity for South Carolina manufacturers who, prior to the “Economic Crash of 2008-2011,” participated in a structured on-the-job training program through one of the UpState community or technical colleges. The response has been exciting! Proactive Technologies developed the materials for the structured on-the-job training program – many registered as apprenticeships – and is in a unique position to provide an economical “quick restart” to the worker training program and support for the program’s continuation, which in each case was structured to the actual tasks employees are required to perform.
Proactive Technologies would like to suggest, for those of you who are interested but have not yet responded, that you express your interest in the discount program before this offer deadline of January 15th is reached. This will allow your company more time to schedule an online teleconference presentation (see schedule and instructions below). You should have received an email detailing where we left off on your organization’s program. Contact us at our website if you need it resent.
click here to expandOnce we have discussed your project status and recommendations of what we can do get your project going within your budget constraints, Proactive Technologies will quickly follow-up with a proposal – including any potential South Carolina grants that may help defray your project cost or reimburse you for the training activities as we “pick up where we left off.”
In addition, for any South Carolina manufacturers who haven’t yet experienced the PROTECH© system of managed human resource development, we have a great offer for you as well. Read more.
Standardizing “Best Practices”
Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
When it comes to the term “best practices” for process-driven tasks, there seems a wide range of understanding of the concept; some better than others. According to Wikipedia, “A best practice is a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means, and that is used as a benchmark. In addition, a “best” practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered…Best practices are used to maintain quality as an alternative to mandatory legislated standards and can be based on self-assessment or benchmarking.[1] Best practice is a feature of accredited management standards such as ISO 9000 and ISO 14001.[2]
This credible definition of the concept is representative of a consensus opinion that I have seen in the field at organizations who strive for high quality performance. However, how many individual interests derive their best practices, or what they display as their best practices, seems often to operate at the edge of the definition yet close enough to claim that best practices have been achieved. In truth, proclaiming a process as a best practice may be soothing to the locals, it may not have the same credibility with clients, potential clients or auditing agencies.
click here to expandThere are few steps that can help any organization achieve a best practice, which is related to the quality assurance notion of “repeatability.” Each systematic step is important to ensure credibility of use of the title. In addition, this approach helps to minimize the tendency to over-analyze a procedure and dwell on the least important aspects for benchmarks and metrics. Read more
The Accelerated the Transfer of ExpertiseTM
Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc
The American Heritage Dictionary defines expertise as, “specialized knowledge or skill; see expert.” Expert is defined as, “Having or demonstrating great skill, dexterity or knowledge as a result of experience or training.” Transferring “expertise” to a new worker is a much different process and experience than simply conveying knowledge. One measure of gaining expertise is the utilization of the knowledge in the skilled performance of a task.
When it comes to task-based expertise, this definition can be applied with a little elaboration. Some examples of technical task performance are: setting up a multi-axis NC lathe to material, machine and engineering specification; welding exotic metals; sterilizing surgical instruments; or troubleshooting an electronic circuit board. These all represent higher order skills developed over time and with practice. Knowledge of “how to” never is enough when it comes to high-order skill requirements of technical tasks. Read more.
Keeping Employers Engaged in Regional Workforce Development Projects
Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.
Billions of dollars have been spent on workforce development projects funded by the state and federal governments in the last 20-30 years. However, from the tone of the discussions surrounding workforce development projects and participants today, it seems that the same things that were troubling employers in 1980 are still troubling them today.
Getting an employer to sign up for a grant-funded workforce development project should not be that difficult, if the brands and reputations of the institutions promoting the project are sound, and the project concept appears logical, achievable and will in all likelihood contribute to the employer’s business model. But once the pitch has been made to the employers and the bold outcomes projected, keeping the employers engaged for the duration of the project and beyond can be difficult. Read more.
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