Learn how our training methodology empowered our clients’ engineering team

You cannot improve what you cannot measure. At Goken, we believe strongly in improving performance through continuous evaluation. We have been fortunate enough to work with clients who share our philosophy of continuous improvement. However, clients also realize that such improvement requires a process-oriented approach and a basic competency level.

An OEM engineering team approached us as they were struggling with high attrition and as a result had a lot more new and inexperienced associates. Goken was asked to devise a training program to get new hires to a level where they can independently handle the design and development of their components and assembly. While the industry standard is 12-18 months to develop a new associate with no experience, Goken ‘s target was to accomplish this in 6 months.

Goken approached this challenge by not only bringing in the right talent but also building targeted training programs that enabled these new associates to acquire the key skills to be successful in their job. We started with defining the skills required for the job and built a skill matrix to measure competency. We developed training content around the targeted skills and planned to use the skills matrix to evaluate associates after training. During the first month, we delivered 1:1 training which included classroom training and hands-on exercises to the associates at our Tech Center in Dublin. The training involved a heavy emphasis on CATIA software, technical know-how based on the function of the associate, and client-specific processes. We evaluated the competency level of the associates after every module of training using the skill matrix. Additional training was provided to associates who did not meet the targets.

After the one month of initial training, the new associates were supported with additional on the job training for the next five months. This training focused on specific tasks that were related to key events in the product development cycle. Goken’s new hire training program propelled the associates to the desired level of competency in just 6 months. The skill matrix helped our clients to review the capabilities developed by associates during the training program which in turn helped them to set realistic expectations for performance on the job. The tangible benefits for our client per associate trained were as high as $54,000. This combined with the intangible benefits of reduced attrition, more efficient associates, and higher productivity, ensured Goken’s training approach was able to provide immense value to the OEM

The image below shows the path to productivity for the trained associates