How We Do It: Feb. 2000, Irrigation Training at Treasure Coast (w/ online only checklist)

We all talk about training, know it is important and believe in the return on investment that it brings. Yet we find it difficult to accomplish with a systematic program. Well, here is how we do it …

We bring all new hires through a six-week training program. Our daily routine begins with observing and assisting crews re-stock and prepare trucks and equipment. The next 15 to 30 minutes is for watching a technical video. The third step is for hands-on learning with a supervisor to reinforce the topics covered on the tape. The remainder of the day is spent with a crew.

The center of our technical training is our "Tech Table."

The "Table" as we call it, is more of a wall, 20 feet long and 8 feet high, built with a bench, 120-volt power on separate breakers with GFI’s. Most importantly, the Table is equipped with every controller and electric valve that we install or find in the field. In addition, we have rainsensors, flow meters, pumps with pump starts and pressure switches, remote control connectors and even a wind sensor. All of this equipment is wired in to run 24 hours a day allowing us to work on components exposed to the elements with actual wear. Spray and rotor heads are also on display.

The variety is especially beneficial for our Monday tech talks. For example, when training on wiring in master valves, the demonstration can be done with twenty-four controllers.

The Table is big enough for 10 to 12 technicians to work on a demonstration at the same time. Each lesson is so much more effective as we make an application and learn a concept.

The Tech Table doubles as a sales center, displaying equipment with various features and benefits for those customers who want to choose their own equipment. In addition, we sell our service and maintenance departments to customers who see our commitment to training.

We continue to realize benefits, and, most recently, used the Table to assist with hiring decisions since we can just walk out to the Table, hand an applicant a volt meter and ask him or her to diagnose a controller that has been prepared to challenge them. With this short exercise, we can hire someone based on strong aptitude and skill vs. a person who boasts of being able to do more than they can.

Finally, this Table has become the focal point, making training easier to accomplish, and it serves as a constant visual reminder that training is not only important, but it is also a journey we all need to be on.

The author is President of Treasure Coast Irrigation, Hobe Sound, Fla.

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