Training in Industry' S. L. STARKS The Daw Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan
T
HE following pertains to a program referred to by our employees and our company as our Student Training Program, a minutely planned program predominately heavy on the "work-and-learn" theory and planned for newly employed college graduates. This presentation is an effort to give a comprehensive idea of the course. Specific details are outside the scope of this paper and will he left for discussion a t some future time. Training in industry has been given an impetus during the last two years by Government-sponsored courses, such as Job Instruction, Job Relations and Job Methods, and by intensive training courses made necessary by employment of women in industry and by rapid turnover of help. It further follows that industry's training problem may he just as great a t the close of the war. Rehabilitation training and cooperative courses may he provided for the soldier who wants to take advantage of a year of training provided for him by the Government but is not suited to, or interested in, the type of training that is available through our colleges. This is no reflection on our colleges. Their facilities may simply be inadequate for the job a t hand and industry may have to help. No doubt many would be interested in the reason why, in 1934, we decided to start our student training program designed for the newly employed college graduate. In 1934 came the start of the great industrial revival following the depression and it was obvious to our management that we were about to grow more rapidly than ever before and that we needed additional leadership, young men who knew how t o get cooperation from workmen and young men who knew how things were made, how to design special eguipment in such a way as to make use of standard materials easily obtainable from stock and of high salvage value after serving a special purpose. To train a young college graduate in such a way meant actual experience and work in machine shops, pipe work, steam fitting, electrical work, boiler shop practice, lead work, glass and tile work, instrument work, engineering work, laboratory practice, production control, semi-
Presented before the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society. 107th meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, April 3. 1944.
plant and development work. As we had employed new men, we had observed the occasional fellow who, regardless of his age or length of service, almost always comes "home with the bacon." Give him a job and on his own he gets it done without others interceding for him. Others were so slow to catch hold of this ability that we concluded it was related, for the most part, to their approach, because of their utter latk of appreciation of the various craftman's jobs. We concluded that there was only one remedy and that was to put the new college man where he would rub elbows with all types of workmenand actually work with thc-m. Not that he would become a craftsman, but that he would see for himself what it meant when he, a few years later, would write a work order to retube No. 1 condenser, replace the baffle plates in the evaporator, patch the side of the storage tank and put new headers on the brine heater, change the air cylinder on the vacuum pump-all between 5 P.M. Friday night and 8 A.M. Monday morniug. Appreciation of the other man-what a world of difference the lack of appreciation can make! Most certainly the man who always gets the information he wants and comes "home with the bacon" has the ability to speak the other man's language and, in a natural way, shows an appreciation of the other man's job to such an extent that the other man will fully cooperate. Our course has gone through a process of evolution, until a t the present time i t consists of 48 weeks, made up of a six-week period in each of the following: electrical department, machine shop, boiler shop, pipe shop, main laboratory, and main engineering department; a six-week period in either the physical research laboratory or cellulose lahoratory; and a divided period of six weeks in our instrument department, stock rooms, lubrication laboratory, and metallurgical laboratory. The student is supplied with a complete outline of his course, broken down to half-day experiences in some cases; both he and the coordinator know exactly where he is supposed to he a t all times. He keeps notebooks which are made up on his own time after working hours, and they must he typed. With each department outline are questions related to the work of the department to which he must learn the
answers, and record them in his notebook. He at- ability to teach and instruct others and the ability to tends a lecture once a week on which he keeps notes. discern whether or not the learner comprehends." In The lectures are given by plant men on company time. industry this is of tremendous importance because misThey might be on industrial refrigeration machinery, takes hold back work and spoil materials and many the importance of good housekeeping, labor relations, mistakes are due to poor and inadequate instruction. sales department organization, the flow sheet of a When we started our training program we necessarily process, company policy, foremanship, character build- enlisted the help of many foremen and supervisors. ing, and personality, but they must be good and they In many instances these have become excellent instrucmust be given by a high-ranking man of the company. tors. I n carrying out their part of the student training This accomplishes two purposes, gives the new man program they have caught the spirit and joy as recomsome important factual information and an insight into pense for teaching others. In many cases they have put the business and puts before him an ideal in the type of on special training programs of their own, getting little technical expert he might wish to become. At the helps and encouragement from the general plan. I am completion of each six weeks the student is graded sure that everyone concerned has done many things separately on: which he would not otherwise have done and that the unanticipated good is of considerable value. 1. Qumlity. quantity of work, and general ability. For many new employees we have selected certain 2. Cleanliness, response to orders, promptness, dependability, parts of the course, assignments of two to six weeks, general deportment, and initiative. 3. Notebook which he has kept. chosen in relation to the work the employee is to do. I n all, 56 new employees have bad selected parts of the The three grades are averaged and that grade is used course. Since June, 1942, we have not had students to give a final grade for the department. However, the enrolled in the full 48-week course. We do not feel card'is so arranged that all these subgradings remain that it is right to be operating an extended training part of the record. The student's notebook becomes course in these times. his property and he is given a copy of his report card. Dr. Willard H. Dow, President and General Manager The outline is planned wholly and completely for of the Dow Chemical Company, has said: "The student the benefit of the student. The money value of the training program, which we instituted some few years student's work is not considered. before the war, was outstandingly successful in our In the administration of the course a good coordina- organization. It had one basic fundamental value, tor is necessary. In each department it is necessary and we have never been able to find a substitute for it. to have one person responsible for the students as ad"New men coming into an organization have general viser and grader and department coordinator. A qualifications for work and traits that cannot be identimajor problem which we ran into during the first two fied just by casual observation. The advantage of the years was stagnation. This same trouble is usually training program gives the opportunity to the company the major problem in apprentice training. A student to observe the man in some detail, seeing how he works will show an unusual ability for a certain kind of work, with his associates, what sort of results be is able to possibly because of the need of his help he will be held accomplish, and also something about his general there much longer than the schedule calls for, then he ability. But we believe the most important characwill fail to get all of the experiences outlined. We teristic of the course is the period of time in which the called all the department heads together and had them man has to get acquainted with the company and find agree that we should place the responsibility of keeping out for himself in what type of work he may have the up to schedule fully on the student. This problem of greatest interest. Before the course is finished, he can stagnation never happened again. make a statement as to where he would prefer to work. When we started the program we were not sure of the The strange thing is that these preferences are usually workmen's attitude toward the student but our minds the same selection by both the young man and the were soon a t ease from that angle and we have had company. practically no trouble. The workmen, almost without "It would seem that our experience had indicated exception, seem to enjoy getting acquainted with the that more satisfaction with a job is obtained and a new engi'neer or employee and many of them become more enthusiastic attitude is apparent right from the good friends. I have had many a workman say that he time 'he starts on his permanent assignment. The took care of John Doe just like he would his own son writer would be very interested in seeing us rebtablish and, in many cases, he has a son and hopes that some the course a t the close of the war emergency, if general day he will benefit by a simiiar program. business conditions indicate it to be advisable." Many times the unforeseen, unanticipated benefits In order to train 108 technical men for several new of new adventures turn out to be of considerable im- plants completed in 1942 and 1943, we made valuable portance. This is true in relation to the attitude of our use of the general plan and parts of the course. foremen and supervisors of the various departments Up to June, 1942, 139 had completed the whole through which the students pass. If I were to evaluate course. Several belonged to the Officers' Reserve the important attributes of a good foreman or a good Corps and are in the service. Most of them are Dow supervisor I would place near the top of the list "the men, and you will find them in responsible positions
scattered throughout our various plants and divisions, with a gaod representation in our Divisions of Technical Service and Sales. As the groups are selected for this special program they are chosen from a large variety of course work and different types of personalities. As they progress in the student training program i t is very interesting to note how obvious i t becomes that they will fit well into certain groups and types of work. Our department heads have become aware of this fact and look to the student group to find those with certain aptitudes and abilities for special assignment. The Educational Division has more requests than it can fill for men who have had the student training course; possibly that is sufficient testimonial of its value. Summarizing the outs tan din^ to the - values of the program - student: they are:
The develaoment of a~oreciation and a realization of the im.. partance of every employee's work. By contact and work experience, learning the importance of conforming to standards. At an early date of employment, developing a knowledge of haw things are done and the weighted value of all clawss of work. At an early date of rmploymtnt, gaining a n appreciation uf the cumplexity of a large businws enterprise a n d thtrchy dcvelooinz n rralization of the ahwlute n w c s s i t ~of indiwidunl cooperation and absolute necessity of d i d i o n and department cooperation in order t o have a well-organized and wellsynchronized organization.
.
-
Values to the company are: Proper placement of technical and leadership staff made possible~, hv man", weeks of observation before final la cement. Sularanrially shortening the period uf time usually rcrluired hcfurr young r u m a~4umeresponsil~lepositions. Gerwral irnprovprnent in all rulationsllip~a? result of teachins appreciation of the other man's work. ~
