Your Guide to Frontline Employee Training in 2024 (2024)

Our frontline needs effective employee training now more than ever.

Frontline teams are integral to:

Despite advances in automation and technology the bulk of frontline tasks still require human presence and intervention.But in order to do these jobs effectively, they need the right employee training throughout their career.

We’ll take a look at the changing face of frontline employee training and some techniques that you can apply today.

In order to effectively train frontline workers, it is crucial to understand their needs in the modern industrial and manufacturing landscape. Today's frontline workers require a combination of technical skills, problem-solving abilities, adaptability, and effective communication.

They need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to operate and maintain advanced machinery and technology. This includes understanding complex systems, troubleshooting, and performing preventive maintenance. Additionally, they need to be trained in safety protocols and compliance regulations to ensure a secure and risk-free working environment.

Moreover, modern frontline workers need to be adaptable to changing technologies and processes. They should be able to quickly learn and adapt to new tools and systems, as well as be open to continuous learning and upskilling.

At the same time, we’re dealing with a workforce that’s restless and in need of inspiration and support.

A lack of career perspective is one of the top reasons people leave their manufacturing job.

To deliver training that resonates with the needs of frontline workers, it's important to tailor the methods and approaches used.

Far too often, we see the frontline (especially in the manufacturing sector) fall behind because of an over-reliance on ‘traditional’ training methodology. This ranges from lengthy classroom training - to frankly outdated and ineffective tools like paper and pdf work instructions and SOPs.

Traditional training methods are simply not as effective at engaging and retaining the attention of modern workers.

So how can we deliver employee training that sticks?

On-the-job training uses methods that involve hands-on experience. Employees learn by physically interacting with the subject, rather than memorizing it with more abstract concepts from a textbook or from a Learning Management System.

As new digital tools make independent on-the-job learninga reality, task completion becomes faster and more accurate. Going through step-by-step training at their own pace helps employees get the needed support and answers in real time, retain information easier, upgrade their personal and professional development and feel more confident in their work.

Furthermore, on-the-job learning is a fantastic way to get new hires up to speed and working efficiently. This is absolutely critical in industries where time-to-effectiveness is tied directly to success.

Our frontline workforce is the most diverse it’s ever been. Not only will you encounter a broad range of learning styles, but also a wide range of ages and skillsets in your teams. It’s essential that we deliver training experiences that are relatable and usable across the spectrum.

Here are two ways that you can increase the mobility and accessibility of your frontline employee training tools:

1. Multimedia.

For on-the-job learners, it’s been proven that ‘dual-coding’ instructions and training materials helps users complete the tasks and retain the information. What does this mean, exactly? It’s a matter of combining text with a visual reference like a high-quality photo or a short video or .gif.

For classroom learning in an LMS or other comprehensive training system, it’s important to remember that different people have different needs and learning styles.

Delivering a mix of visual materials like infographics and videos alongside audio materials like podcasts or presentations can help reach a broader audience and make sure nobody is slipping through the cracks.

We find that delivering job aids and training on mobile devices is an effective way to bridge this gap as long as the content is simple, visual, and logical. Younger generations, raised on cell phones and tablets will find the experience intuitive and familiar. Older generations will appreciate the simplicity and logical flow of well-designed training materials.Mobile.

Being able to reference the correct materials in a workflow means new skills are reinforced at the same time that common errors are reduced. The combination of learning and error reduction is a powerful one.

There will most likely always be a place for a portion of classroom or deep learning delivered through an LMS. But for the skills that can be reinforced on the shop floor or in the field, a comprehensive mobile platform is essential.

Training and onboarding should never happen in a bubble. It’s essential to make your processes a collaborative experience with give-and-take. We strongly recommend - at the very least - creating multiple points for learners to deliver honest feedback about the training process and materials.

Not only does this serve to make the frontline feel included and valued, but it helps capture essential learnings and knowledge to continuously improve your efforts.

In an upskilling or continued-learning environment where training materials are being delivered to seasoned/veteran employees, it also provides an opportunity to capture essential tribal knowledge about your own operations.

AI is everywhere and on everyone’s minds. Its applications seem limitless and frankly, it can be overwhelming to determine exactly where and when it can make an impact in your training and upskilling operations.

We’ve highlighted a couple here:

Understanding and creating skills profiles: It can take a LOT of mental and physical effort to break down and prioritize each and every skill that needs to be taught and reinforced in a modern manufacturing operation. AI tools can help organizations break complex data sets like these into their manageable discrete parts, removing a lot of bottlenecks from the administrative end of frontline training.

It's essential that you understand which skills are needed throughout your entire workforce.

The frontline industry is facing an unprecedented skills gap for a number of reasons, and it’s our job to deliver the correct training to correct this disparity.

More and more, frontline trainers are pairing dedicated skills management and development software with their digital job aids and LMS tools to more effectively manage the competencies of their workforce.

This is the best way to understand the needs of both your operations of your workforce, and to most effectively bridge any gaps with the right materials.

It’s essential to focus on developing the skillsets already existing in your frontline workforce with upskilling initiatives

Upskilling is the process of developing new or existing skills that are relevant to a person’s current role in order to either broaden or deepen their area of expertise. Not only will it help close skills gaps, but it will help your teams feel valued and dramatically improve retention rates.

This is more important than ever, as turnover rates have skyrocketed to 40% in the US.

2. Learning Management Systems. Learning Management Systems (LMS) platforms allow organizations to deliver online courses, track progress, and provide access to learning resources. LMS also enable the administration of assessments and certifications, making it easier to evaluate the effectiveness of training.

3. Augmented and virtual reality. Another important digital tool gaining more traction with the modern frontline in 2024 is augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). These technologies leverage wearable devices to provide realistic and immersive training experiences, allowing frontline workers to practice their skills in a simulated environment.