Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER CANADIAN HR REPORTER March 24, 2014 March 24, 2014 22 FEATURES FEATURES TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT Keeping your employees up with the times – free of charge Abbott's in-house apprenticeships help employees adapt to newer technologies By Cathy Lewis F ew employees are given the chance to upgrade their post-secondary education and skills during work hours, free of charge. But through a unique training program, some manufacturing employees at Abbott Point of Care are doing just that. Abbott is a global health-care company focused on advancing practices in medicine, science and business to help people live healthier lives. Its facility in Otta- wa is the global manufacturing site for cartridges used in the i-STAT system — a hand-held blood ana- lyzer for bedside and patient point of care diagnostic testing. In 2007, Abbott made signifi - cant investments to help support its growth by purchasing auto- mated equipment. Given the advanced technical properties of the new equipment, the company needed to have a highly-skilled workforce to suc- cessfully and effi ciently manage it, and to meet Abbott's rigorous safety and quality standards — all while maximizing productivity. To help employees adapt and develop the specific techni- cal skills to successfully operate the equipment, Abbott Point of Care launched a microelectron- ics manufacturer apprentice- ship in 2007. e apprenticeship was created in partnership with Algonquin College in Ottawa and with support from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The apprenticeship program was taught in-house at the manu- facturing facility over a period of three years. With a total of 304 hours of classes involving 19 col- lege credit courses, apprentices learned to better operate and monitor high-technology auto- mated equipment while learning the necessary skills to improve processes and automation. Be- yond formal academic training, the program included essential soft skills training — such as team- work and adapting to change — to help employees at every phase in their careers. Off ered from 2007 to 2013, the microelectronics manufacturer apprenticeship was mandatory for employees in certain posi- tions, such as operators. Beyond that, nearly 400 entry-level staff members participated in the ap- prenticeship to upgrade their edu- cation and experience level. Participating employees also gained enhanced skills in com- munication, science and math- ematics, quality regulations, criti- cal thinking and problem-solving. e apprenticeship program has been a special opportunity to up- grade education for apprentices and increase their opportunity for mobility within the company. On-the-job training promotes culture of learning Following the success of the mi- croelectronics manufacturer ap- prenticeship program, Abbott in- troduced an instrumentation and control technician apprenticeship in September 2013. Off ered as an optional continuing education opportunity, 140 Abbott manu- facturing employees enrolled. Similar to the previous appren- ticeship, this program is work- sponsored, which provides em- ployees with the advantage — and fl exibility — of completing course- work on-site during working hours. e instrumentation and control technician apprenticeship features a customized curriculum, including 15 college courses over three years, which are off ered free of charge to employees. Abbott is committed to con- necting people with their poten- tial. It provides a strong culture of leadership development that sup- ports employees at every stage of their career. It creates programs that meet the development needs of employees while addressing critical business requirements and building capacity. Since 2007, the apprenticeship program has been instrumental in allowing employees to succeed, to better understand their work and role within the organization and, ultimately, to thrive in their positions. By fostering innovation and a culture of learning through the apprenticeship programs, Abbott has also created increased employee loyalty and opportuni- ties for advancement, as well as strengthened employees' sense of belonging within the company. Ultimately, the manufacturing employees feel even more proud and passionate about the work they do to improve the health of people around the world. Building a successful apprenticeship program One essential success factor to Abbott's apprenticeship programs is to align with a partner — such as a local college — to deliver the training, and working with the relevant provincial ministry of education. is three-way part- nership requires creative collabo- ration among private, public and educational institutions. In addition, it's important to off er content that balances busi- ness needs (generally character- ized by a hands-on approach) and classroom time. Abbott chose to off er the classes during work hours because that arrangement best supported the manufacturing plant's 24-hour shift operation, while balancing the apprentices' personal obligations and work responsibilities. Over the years, the company has found other considerations toward long-term success include: •assessing pre-apprenticeship learning needs •incorporating adult learning best practices •working with community part- ners to ensure academic sup- ports are in place for students throughout their journey. In addition, integrating formal, informal and interactive academic assessments has proven to be a good way to keep a pulse on how the learning plan is unfolding, so adjustments can be made as necessary. These adjustments — driven by input from students — have helped with the design and cus- tomization of the two apprentice- ship programs, resulting in what many consider to be best-in-class. Abbott's belief is the more the em- ployees learn and grow, the more they can help advance existing practices, contribute toward on- going innovation, support con- tinuous improvement and under- stand the critical role they play in the company's success. Cathy Lewis is the business excellence manager overseeing the apprentice- ship program at Abbott Point of Care, located in Ottawa, Ont. For more in- formation, visit www.abbottpointof- care.com. $745 regular $945 ... save $200 offer valid until April 30, 2014 Details at www.workplace.ca/hr-reporter.html The goal of this program is to teach participants how to assess the need for training, develop the material, prepare the handouts, deliver the content and evaluate the results. Successful completion of all 3 Modules makes you eligible for membership in the Canadian Professional Trainers Association, CPTA, with the RPT (Registered Professional Trainer) designation. The Professional Trainer Full Accreditation Program on Multimedia CD-ROM What current practices would need to be changed, where would they start and who should be included? One thought that came to mind for me was a great twist on an old say- ing from the "contin- uous improvement" era: "If you keep do- ing what you always did, you will get what you always got." For leaders, that idea might be wor- thy of some further thought. I am even more curious as to wheth- er these shortcom- ings and mistakes indicate a larger challenge. How systemic might these practices be within corpo- rate Canada? If senior leaders fi nd it chal- lenging to present or commu- nicate effective, compelling strategies and information to the board, how is that aff ecting their leadership within their own organizations? Might this be hindering pro- gressive decision-making? How might it unintentionally send am- biguous or mistaken messages? Is it conceivable that such ineffec- tiveness is fostering greater indecisive- ness and lacklus- tre execution from managers and their teams? Trish Maguire is a commentator for SC- Network on leadership in action and founding principal of Synergyx Solutions in No- bleton, Ont., focused on high-potential leadership development coaching. She has held senior leadership roles in HR and OD in education, manufacturing and entrepreneurial fi rms. She can be reached at synergyx@sympatico.ca. Larger challenges Larger challenges BOARDS < pg. 11 Abbott created increased employee loyalty and opportunities for advancement... the employees feel even more proud and passionate about the work they do. How systemic are these practices in Canada? Might they hinder progress?

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