Impressions - June/July 2014 - 59

Make sure your operator trainees understand that the machine doesn't have
a mind of its own. If it throws a bobbin out, this means it wasn't properly inserted in
the ﬁrst place.
I've found a number of good operator
trainees by watching their work habits in
another job setting. For instance, when I go
to a fast-food restaurant or café, I notice
employees that hustle, and have intelligence and a good attitude. They make great
prospects for learning new skills that could
lead to potentially higher earnings.

TRAINING PRINCIPLES
When you build your training program around the following concepts, your
trainees will progress more quickly and
consistently.
1. The embroidery machine doesn't
have a mind of its own. Machines may
occasionally malfunction as a result of an
electrical or electronic problem, but such
occurrences are rare. When a new trainee
says, "I don't know why the machine did
that," the trainer should respond in a gentle way that the machine most likely did
what the trainee instructed it to do. This
creates accountability rather than promoting the idea that the machine does inexplicable and unpredictable things on its own.
2. The embroidery machine can hurt
you. Trainees, as well as experienced operators, should have a healthy respect for
the machine and understand they could
be hurt if safety procedures are not followed. It's a best practice to train all operators to loudly say "Ready" or "Clear"
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before the machine is engaged. This helps
ensure that no ﬁngers are near the needles
or in an area where they could be pinched
when the pantograph moves.
3. Mistakes will happen. Resist the
temptation to jump ahead of your planned
training schedule. Doing so can lead to mistakes - possibly costly ones - and even
damage to the equipment.
When an error does inevitably occur,
remain positive. This is a ﬁne line to walk
because you don't want to foster the idea
that mistakes are always OK, but it's also
important to not damage the trainee's
morale. Rather, try to make the negative
experience a teaching moment. Help the
trainee understand and verbalize what was
learned from the experience.
4. Have trainees say it in their own
words. Many people say they understand
a concept even when they don't. Have
the trainee repeat your instructions for
procedures in their own words. This is a
great way to uncover misunderstandings
and miscommunication. Even if you have
written procedures, allow trainees to make
their own notes to help them remember
the necessary steps to load a design, assign
needles and other unfamiliar tasks.
5. We all do it the same way. Some large
shops have "set-up operators" and "job
operators." In such settings, more experienced or more highly trained operators set

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Impressions - June/July 2014

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