When putting together a team of engineers and designers, we’re all in search of the perfect candidate to fill each and every position. Reality, however, is far from perfect. No matter how many qualifications you request, the resulting team will inevitably feature a wide gamut of strengths and weaknesses.

Differences in skill level across a team shouldn’t be surprising, particularly when it comes to software like SolidWorks. Equally qualified candidates may retain varying amounts of information, and more importantly, people may certain skills reinforced simply because they haven’t needed to use a particular piece of knowledge recently.

Just-in-Time Learning

The bottom line is that smart teams need efficient solutions to smooth out the gaps in their repertoire of skills. Just-in-time education via bite-sized, highly-specified online coursework with SolidProfessor aims to solve this challenge. Based on research by the Wharton School of Business, just-in-time learning:

• Forgoes standardized coursework, focusing instead on customized content;
• favors active over passive learning; and
• provides fluid learning rather than traditional, classroom instruction.

Using a “flipped classroom” model, just-in-time learning places the focus on the individual’s educational needs rather than the instructor’s expertise. SolidProfessor does this by offering easily digestible, video-based lessons that can be curated to suit your specific instructional goals.

Traditional education certainly has its place. But in a professional environment, it’s hard to imagine dropping everything to take a full course when all you may need is a quick lesson on how to accomplish a specific task. Whether it’s been a while or you’ve simply never used a particular feature of SolidWorks, just-in-time learning means you don’t need to waste time learning any more or any less than is necessary to get the job done correctly and efficiently.

Training is an ongoing process, and some of the most successful people are those who have grown to embrace lifelong learning. Poor retention and obsolete knowledge can waste nearly 21% of a team member’s time. Even worse, 80% of knowledge gained from traditional employee training is forgotten within 30 days. As an employer, that’s thousands of dollars per employee per year down the drain. As an individual looking to contribute to the team, that’s potentially thousands of dollars left on the table when it comes time to negotiate.

So what does this all mean?

Online education is the way to go! Rather than spending large amounts on single use coursework that will be quickly forgotten or made obsolete, SolidProfessor offers bite-size content perfectly matched to a learner’s specific needs. No more expensive seminars, trainers or yearly textbooks. SolidProfessor content uses the benefits of online hosting and a SaaS structure to provide all members up-to-date, relevant content at all times.

When all members of the team have access to educational materials that fit their exact needs, the entire team is strengthened. Reinforcing skills in a highly targeted, as-needed basis leads to a smoother, more balanced team overall.

It all comes down to flexibility. You might prefer to learn in a linear, course-like fashion. A colleague tackling that big project with you might prefer to sample individual topics to refresh their memory. SolidProfessor's robust, just-in-time style content means no team member is left behind. The competitive advantage is clear: less wasted time, stronger teams and a culture of ongoing learning.

To learn more, check out SolidProfessor's new whitepaper, Investing in Learning: The True ROI of Ongoing Training and Continuous Learning.