Mark DeHart, Co-founder & Co-CEODespite its growing demand and proven success, several companies term training as a non-billable, non-core activity in times of economic crises. D&L Education Solutions, one of the leading technical workforce development firms, is committed to reforming this outlook by delivering customizable, innovative, instructional training programs to technicians and frontline workers.
In conversation with ManageHR magazine, Mark DeHart, one of the two founders and Co-CEO of D&L Education Solutions, narrates how the company is driven by its passion to help clients train and retain its talented workforce using immersive learning techniques, a variety of delivery formats, and innovative approaches. “Being an industry educational development company, we bring top industry curriculum designers and trainers to clients’ companies. We further assess and develop customized competencybased training for individual company needs,” states DeHart.
Could you shed some light on the inception of D&L Education Solutions?
Our company was founded by seasoned trainers who understood the need for innovative training programs because we too were once employees who sought customized training solutions instead of the annual ‘check the box’ training that we participated in. Additionally, our educational background was rooted at the college level, where we invested our efforts in building the future generation of workers. Our deep industry knowledge propelled us to make a breakthrough with our first collaboration with Kubota Tractor Corp, a tractor and heavy equipment manufacturer seeking customized, well-developed training for the technicians.
John Lee, Co-founder and Co- CEO, helped them develop a training program for the technician at all levels. Our training programs are offered as turnkey solutions that help companies complete employee training, including Train-The-Trainer from our experts. We also deliver training at the managerial level and to frontline employees. We offer tailor-made training programs for several industry verticals, including automotive, diesel, advanced manufacturing, management, instructor development, and employee skills.
What are some of the hurdles that several companies face in the learning and development space? How does D&L Education Solutions resolve these issues?
We usually hear two main issues from our clients. Firstly, employee training has rapidly evolved, especially over the last 18 months owing to the pandemic.
Our customized training model promises production growth, lower turnover rates, and overall success that appeal more to the new generation of the workforce because of the individual investment
It has brought forth new challenges in terms of the delivery methods used for various training programs. Courses that were once conducted face-to-face can now be delivered in a hybrid or online format effectively. We have seamlessly altered our approach with the changing times and created solutions to innovate training delivery. Our clients can now avail of several new solution options, including self-paced employee training where we deliver all modules via a private, customized LMS. We also conduct faceto- face virtual trainings on Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
Secondly, companies are often challenged with acquiring and retaining talented employees in a cost-effective manner. While availability of a skilled workforce becomes smaller, companies have to think about aspects that drive individuals to become valuable assets and retain such employees. In such a scenario, among other aspects, a successful, customized, and innovative training plan helps meet the highest demands of the next generation of employees. This calls for muchneeded investment from within the company, and we are excited to be a part of that investment.
Could you please elaborate on the customized LMS System you deliver to clients?
Our LMS System houses all our clients’ training programs that are easily accessible to their employees. A company can have them log in with individual log-in details and the service manager can assign employees to different training modules. Once the training has been assigned, the employees can complete their courses, either via live Zoom or Microsoft Teams sessions or pre-recorded videos and classes. In addition, clients’ employees can also complete assessments using our LMS system. They can complete graded assessments, including scenariobased ones where the employees are graded by a lab instructor or an autograded assessment with multiplechoice questions. Another significant advantage of the LMS system is its reportability. Using this capability, the company can track what employees are doing and how well they perform their tasks. We can also track their activities via the LMS and modify the course delivery method if required.
How do you deliver the management training to your clients, whether seasoned or potential leaders?
One of the things that make us unique is the approach to delivering managerial-type training. We start by getting to know the managers of the company and analyze their leadership styles. We then assess the overall leadership and the type of individual they are to ascertain the efficacy of their managerial style. In our entire managerial training program, we stress on teamwork and collaboration as managers must lead their teams by placing their employees in charge of certain situations. With our analysis capability, we can identify an employee’s strengths and help the manager to utilize that individual in the best possible way.
We adopt a hands-on approach by really understanding how people learn. We do this by addressing three different learning styles in each training solution, including the visual, the auditory, and the kinaesthetic learner. Firstly, we help visual learners with interactive classroom presentations that comprise videos and animations to offer a first-hand experience of the job role they are expected to perform after the training. Secondly, we offer company-specific designed lectures for the auditory learners that include custom-designed videos shot at our new studio. Finally, we focus on kinaesthetic learners who learn by doing. For this, we develop assessable activities that teach them how to do an exact job in a certain way after completing the training. This ensures the trainee’s success and instills confidence in all parties involved in the training. These can also be problem-based, where we can take equipment, create faults, and design the curriculum around teaching problem-solving skills.
What does the future look like for the organization?
We are going beyond the old “cookie cutter generic training” that only checks boxes at the end of the year. Our customized training model promises production growth, lower turnover rates, and overall success that appeal more to the new generation of the workforce because of the individual investment. Being committed to constant growth as technology and the needs of companies expand, our organization is also increasing its capabilities by exploring new platforms and their benefits. We are also delving into newer opportunities in the field of VR for facilitating learning and training. In conclusion, we work with our clients to build customized training solutions that will be effective, interactive, and measurable.
