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Kroger Shares E-Learning Strategies
PMMI Technical Training Community of Practice opens with discussing common E-Learning challenges.

A group of end users and OEMs came together in Cincinnati, Ohio, to discuss common issues around technical training. This group formed PMMI’s Technical Training Community of Practice, a networking group that will provide input to PMMI’s Certified Trainer Program. One of the main topics of discussion at the meeting was E-learning.

Justin Hawes, training manager, the Kroger Company gave a presentation to the group detailing the E-learning initiatives within Kroger’s manufacturing group. The reason Kroger began looking at E-learning was to maintain consistency of message. “With E-learning, we can offer the same training across 35 plants,” Hawes says.

When starting out, deciding what courses to start with was a challenge. When deciding what courses to create first, Kroger looked at the investment in time and the value it would bring. “We chose courses such as Six Sigma, that involve meticulous training and need to be reinforced over and over,” Hawes says. “In many cases we will still offer on the job training to complement the E-learning. For regulatory issues, compliance and safety training, E-Learning is a good fit.”

Developing the course content has been an investment in time for Kroger. “The courses themselves take time to develop, an estimated 20 to 45 minutes per page,” Hawes says. “Eventually, E-learning will enable us to impact human vertical start-up, and get people ramped up on new equipment or technology as quickly as possible.”

To develop the courses, Kroger is using an E-Learning authoring tool called Lectora. This tool allows Kroger’s in-house training staff to create courses that link back to their corporate Learning Management System (LMS). “The LMS brings feedback, tracking and measurement and knowledge verification,” Hawes says. The LMS keeps scores when they took the training, etc.”

Kroger struggled with getting E-learning started within the manufacturing group, but they have made a commitment to making it work within their organization. “When you are developing an E-learning program, know what you expect to accomplish, specify what you need and recognize how much time it takes,” Hawes says.