Lack of training is the biggest obstacle to manufacturing quality success today, according to the 2014 Manufacturing Training Trends Survey recently released by Seminars for Engineers. According to the report, 27% of respondents cited lack of training, 20% cited outmoded equipment, 16% cited poor quality control and 14% cited company morale. While 89% said their company offers opportunities to attend technical or engineering-related seminars/workshops, 81% said they wished their companies offered more opportunities to attend technical seminars/workshops. More/better training would result in improved productivity, according to 34% of respondents; 27% cited fewer defects in manufacturing, 20% cited better morale, and 20% cited greater satisfaction with management.

In-person seminars continue to be the most common format offered for seminars/workshops, said 54% of respondents. Online/webinars are the most common training format for 46% of respondents. When asked which seminar/workshop format was more valuable, 64% said “in-person seminars,” 27% said “about the same,” and 9% preferred the online/webinar. Eighty-seven percent of respondents said they would or might benefit from technical seminars/workshops held on-site at their company by outside subject-matter experts. Only 10% said they had all the expertise they needed to conduct their own seminars. Employee technicians/engineers with one to nine years’ experience would benefit most from technical seminars/workshops, according to the survey’s participants.

“We undertook this survey to define how technical industry professionals are learning about new technologies, discovering new manufacturing processes and staying up-to-date on industry trends and developments,” said Dov Schechter, director of Technical Seminars.

For more information, visit www.seminarsforengineers.com.

Vote now in our poll: which factor do you think decreases or inhibits productivity the most?