Corporate

Siemens Xcelerator Academy Learning Program

The era of the mirror world

The digital twin is the main enabling technology for the 4th industrial revolution. It affects most of the enterprises worldwide and is driving and shaping the future of business.

Software and processes for modeling products are thus the basis for success, but the key to unlocking business value is for users to adopt and fully leverage these tools.

A big challenge every organization faces when managing digital transformation is how to achieve successful adoption through effective and efficient learning, especially when there is a deployment of new technology and business processes to a large and sometimes geographically dispersed audience.

A best practice framework of proven and innovative learning strategies

A Siemens Learning Program is the solution to this challenge. It is a holistic methodology that addresses all of the customer-centric learning needs to enable a high-performance workforce, support on-the-job productivity and provide continuous up-skilling.

Learning Programs are based on innovative learning strategies and best practices, guided by learning experts who work directly with the customer at each phase, or work packages, from Strategy & Design, to Configure and Deploy, in order to achieve a successful go-live, specific to the project needs and goals. These learning experts are called Learning architects and follow a proven methodology called Instructional Design. Applying Instructional Design ensures that the quality of learning will be effective, efficient and meaningful.

As each system implementation represents unique circumstances and challenges, the appropriate learning solution must be designed and scoped to reach the most effective outcomes.

This learning experience and environment enables ongoing performance and continuous growth, and helps reaching the state of proficiency and achieving successful on-the-job performance.

Formal training plus “Learning when needed” strategy

First, both a formal training as well as a performance support strategy, or “learning when needed’” are necessary in order to gain the most effective user productivity and the maximum value from the digital twin.

In formal training people learn best by gaining the bigger picture first and then absorbing greater detail, working from the “why”, then the “what” and eventually to the “how” of what they need to do on the job.

However, when people are on the job, that’s when they are applying their new skills and knowledge but also when they are likeliest to have questions and need help at that moment of need.

Often times, they may just need a small reminder of a specific step or the order of a process.  That is when they need easy-to-access information about the “how” but also the ability to search for additional, supporting information as needed.

This provides people with the ability to quickly reinforce their training, but also provides self-directed learning on new topics that allows continuous expansion of their capabilities, and also mitigates the “forgetting curve”.

Combining both Formal Training and Learning “when needed”  you will achieve your desired outcomes with increased confidence that people will be successful in their use of a new system.

Learning Program phases

The Learning Program lays out specific phases: Strategy and Design, to determine learning needs and the effective learning solution, Configure, which includes all content development, and Deploy, addressing all delivery and evaluation aspects.

Strategy and Design

As with any solution, the foundation of a successful Learning Program is based on quality strategy and design. In this phase, expert learning architects conduct the initial analysis of needs to define objectives, KPIs and optimal learning solutions. The learning architect designs with adult education learning principles and modern delivery techniques in mind, focusing on performance and the right training for the right person at the right time. This design becomes the learning and adoption blueprint for directly tying learning objectives and solutions to impactful and meaningful business goals.

Configure

In today’s fast-paced environments, rapid technology and business process changes make it extremely difficult to keep up with creating and maintaining learning content. An Xcelerator Academy Learning Program introduces efficiencies in learning technology and the development process that promotes rapidly creating custom business processes and workflows and maximizes leveraging content for multiple purposes.  This also provides continuous value with maintaining and revising content over time.

Deploy

Learners today have high expectations for flexible training models that cater to their specific needs and enrich their learning experience. Xcelerator Academy Learning Programs are structured to deliver blended learning to optimize online and instructor-led training as well as employ diverse media formats and hands-on experiences. The program also takes advantage of Siemens Xcelerator Academy learning platform, available globally 24/7, to support formal training for new skills, as well as continuous growth, advancing overall proficiency. The platform also provides quick access to meaningful content on the job when users need it most to reinforce productivity.

Business Value

As mentioned before, it is important to recognize that value from technology is realized when users fully adopt new business processes.  This requires the implementation of a successful learning strategy focusing on outcomes that achieve end user proficiency, performance and productivity.  A well-designed Learning Program can maximize efficiencies in creating content. It also delivers highly effective and innovative learning methods. This approach enables successful learning that leads directly to realizing the maximum value of the Xcelerator portfolio, the comprehensive and integrated portfolio of software and services from Siemens Digital Industries Software.

Benefits

• Realize maximum value in new technologies with successful user adoption

• Ensure successful learning with expert guidance and proven, innovative approaches

• Accelerate employee time-to-competency with highly effective, blended learning solutions

• Achieve user productivity and satisfaction

• Maximize efficiencies in content creation, management and delivery

Features

  • Drive user adoption across the organization
  • Analyze process, roles and learning needs
  • Design and deploy effective learning solutions
  • Rapidly create and maintain custom content
  • Deliver learning 24/7 using diverse delivery formats and hands-on experiences
  • Evaluate learning progress and adoption with key performance indicators (KPIs)

To summarize…

When you need to ensure user proficiency to maximize value from the Digital Twin ensuring successful job performance, Siemens Learning Program provides you best practice guidance, thanks to learning experts through all phases of deploying an effective learning strategy.

This will help you…

  • Maximize efficiency with expert guidance and proven, innovative approaches
  • Accelerate employee time-to-competency with highly effective, blended learning solutions
  • Realize maximum value in new technologies with successful user adoption​​​​​
Cristiana Cerrato Accomazzo

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This article first appeared on the Siemens Digital Industries Software blog at https://blogs.stage.sw.siemens.com/xcelerator-academy/2022/10/28/xcelerator-academy-learning-program/