Chemical Engineering July 2017 - 60

You and Your Job
Training Today's Workforce
Integrated console, virtual-reality simulation offers learning for maximum,
measurable training efficiency
Graham Provost
Schneider Electric Industry Business
M
odern techniques are
being used for realistic
plant training for control
room operators, field operators,
and operations and maintenance
personnel. Simulator training
has been shown to result in better
retention by participants than most
other learning methods. This article
describes these training platforms,
when they should be used, and
how to set up a performance-based
competency grid.
Simulation training and blended
learning can be tied to an organization's
key performance indicators
(KPIs) through a Personnel Effectiveness
Model that utilizes simulation to
maximize training value for time spent.
To understand how to employ a
Personnel Effectiveness Model, consider
first that time spent in structured,
measurable simulation training
is significantly more valuable
than time spent by any other learning
method [1].
Simulator training
achieves 78% retention, while the average
of all other methods is 11.6%
when blended equally (Figure 1). This
means that simulator training is nearly
seven times more effective than any
other learning method, not including
on-the-job training (OJT). In many
cases, even OJT is unstructured and
not measurable. While this experiential
learning is valuable, it can also be
accomplished using simulation.
Therefore, it is reasonable to say
that one, 8-hour day of simulator
training is effectively worth 7 days,
or 56 hours of training by any other
method. The Personnel Effectiveness
Model considers that technical
competency should be one of
an organization's KPIs. This is true
for most large industrial organizations,
however historically, most
58
have a difficult time measuring the
effectiveness of time spent in training
and overall competency of their
employees. In addition to the classic
reasons to use simulation, such
as " reduce trips " and " speed time to
commissioning, " employing structured
simulation training and other
modern methods, such as tutorial
video and virtual reality simulation,
maximizes the value of the time
spent in training.
Integrated platform for O&M
A complete, integrated simulation
and training platform can be used to
train control room, and field operations
and maintenance (O&M) personnel
through the development of
targeted models and trainee activities.
These solutions typically consist
of portions of control-panel-based
simulation, which are traditional operator
training simulators (OTS), integrated
with small virtual-reality (VR)
training environments. Learning is
targeted at high-consequence, difficult
and important items. Both operations
and maintenance training are
considered, and scenarios are built
to accommodate items such as production,
abnormal operations (O&M
team training), maintenance and repair
procedures.
By developing and deploying a
training platform such as this, organizations
are able to maximize the
effectiveness
of the time personnel
spend in training, and raise their
level of retention and therefore competency.
VR platforms also enable
inclusion of items such as orientation,
and environmental, health and
safety electronic-learning as part of
the dedicated training environment.
When should simulation be used?
All O&M training items can and
should generally be accomplished
using simulation of various types,
Learning retention rates
78
20
10
5
25
50
Percentage
FIGURE 1. Simulation offers a 78% learning retention
rate, which is much higher than other training
options (Source: Ref. 1)
with the exception of true tactile
feedback and maintenance-related
psychomotor skills. The benefit of
a simulation platform is that it is always
available and can be set up
for trainee self-study. This alleviates
some of the training responsibility
that often falls on senior personnel,
whose time is already stretched thin.
In addition, simulation training can
also be deployed over the " cloud, "
making global deployment and management
a possibility. A competency
grid should be constructed assuming
that simulation will accommodate
the training. This is antithetical to the
traditional practice that we must first
identify what can be accomplished
with simulation. This mindset is obsolete
because modern simulation
can replicate nearly any environment
and condition.
The modern competency-grid
model should be built such that, at
the end of the analysis, we identify
exception items that should be
physically experienced based upon
those that affect the KPI-related
training scenarios to be built. This
maintains the focus on performance
and training as related to the solution
that is being designed.
Competency grid model
Constructing a performance-based
competency grid for a facility or
workgroup is a scientific process
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Chemical Engineering July 2017

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