The Role of Methodology and a Systematic Approach in Technical Training

Specifics of Adult Learning: From Breaking Stereotypes to Conscious Safety

Transforming the safety culture in production is impossible without a qualitative change in approaches to technical training. Traditional lecture formats, overloaded with theory and disconnected from real tasks, show low efficiency when working with adult professionals. During the webinar, Vitaly Kirilin, Head of Technical Training Methodology, examines the fundamental principles of building educational programs using the example of the SiburIntech corporate center.

The speaker emphasizes a key physiological feature of adult learning: to form a new neural connection, the old one must first be destroyed. Unlike children, an adult does not perceive information without personal problematization. That is why training should start not with regulatory requirements, but with creating conditions under which the employee realizes the critical lack of knowledge for the safe performance of their work.

Training Module Architecture: Problematization, Algorithm, Practice, Reflection

To overcome cognitive resistance, a rigid structure of a one-and-a-half-hour training module is proposed. Each block solves a specific task and does not allow for unnecessary fluff:

• Problematization: creating a personal motive for learning. The employee must understand how the lack of a skill threatens them personally, rather than abstract company metrics.
• Clear action algorithm: providing a dry, applied summary without long historical or theoretical digressions.
• Immediate practice: applying the received information in practice within 15 minutes. Without this stage, the new neural connection simply does not have time to consolidate.
• Reflection (feedback): the most important stage where the learner independently evaluates their actions. The goal is to teach the employee to control themselves in the workplace when there is no supervisor or trainer around.

Integrating HSE into Technical Disciplines and Working with Shock Content

One of the most effective approaches discussed in detail in the presentation is the seamless integration of HSE modules into purely technical programs. For example, when studying the repair of pumping equipment, mechanics mandatorily complete a block on the LOTO protective lockout system. Safety ceases to be a separate, disconnected discipline and becomes an integral part of the production process.

The speaker pays special attention to the use of so-called "trash content" — videos of real accidents. Practice shows that this tool only works when the rule of "two or three handshakes" is observed. If the incident occurred within the company's perimeter and the trainees can identify with the victims, it causes a powerful response. Otherwise, psychological defense mechanisms kick in ("this won't happen to me"), and the content loses its educational value.

Linking Training with Incident Investigation (RCA) and Transferring Skills to Production

Training should not exist in a vacuum. A weekly analysis of incident investigation reports (RCA) is built into the methodology. This allows for the prompt identification of systemic gaps in personnel knowledge — for example, mass errors in the operation of uninterruptible power supplies — and targeted adjustments to training programs to prevent repeat incidents.

The final challenge remains transferring the formed skills from the comfortable conditions of the training center to the harsh realities of production (frost, workwear, limited visibility). Three tools are used to solve this problem:

• Outdoor training grounds: practicing operations (e.g., on a loading and unloading rack) in real weather conditions.
• Post-training monitoring: issuing a checklist to the manager to monitor the employee's application of new skills for three months after training.
• Random interviews: regular audits of production processes by specialized experts to assess residual knowledge.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• Why classic training methods do not work on adult professionals and how to launch the process of forming new neural connections?
• How to properly structure a 1.5-hour training module so that theory is guaranteed to turn into a stable skill?
• In what cases does demonstrating real accidents increase engagement, and in what cases does it cause psychological rejection?
• How to use incident investigation results (RCA) for weekly updates of training programs?
• What control tools help ensure that an employee applies safety rules at a real facility, and not just in the classroom?