A framework for training workers in contemporary manufacturing environments

Manufacturing experiments with full automation for manufacturing of goods, developed, promoted and attempted in the 1980s, have failed for economic an d technical reasons. It is now widely accepted that humans are vital to eff icient and effective operation of manufacturing processes. Historically, hu man resources in most manufacturing environments have been mismanaged, and while there has been a virtual proliferation of enabling technologies to su pport manufacturing systems, little attention has been paid to integrating humans into such systems. Now that humans are being reintroduced in contemp orary manufacturing systems, it is necessary to pay serious attention to th is most vital of all resources. One of the most critical and pressing human resource management needs is the training of workers, at all levels (line workers, managers, engineers, etc.) in skills they need to make a manufactu ring organization competitive. In spite of this pressing need relatively li ttle has been done to develop generic and fundamental methods for training manufacturing workers. This paper reviews training literature, identifies r esearch deficiencies, and proposes a framework for training workers in cont emporary manufacturing environments.