How PTC University’s LEARN Online Subscription Helped One Customer Close the Covid Learning Gap
Recently, PTC University WW Delivery Lead, Scott Barkman, sat down with David Thornton, a valued customer from Neptune Technology Group to talk about how their LEARN Online Subscription made all the difference for their team’s professional development goals in a year of Covid. Check out their discussion below to hear about the positive impact the LEARN program has made:
SB: Welcome, David. We are excited to talk to you about your experience with LEARN Online and discuss how it’s helped your organization. We all know it’s been a challenging year, but we’d would love to hear your perspective on what’s helped at Neptune. To begin, can you tell us about your role at Neptune Technology Group?
DT: Absolutely. I’ve been here at Neptune for almost 25 years. I began my career drafting and then moved on to become an Associate Engineer. Today, I’m the Engineer Design Supervisor as well as the CAD and PLM Site Administrator for our PTC products. Here at Neptune, we have a current user base of 45-46 licensed Creo users and about 85 Windchill users.
SB: Congratulations on your tenure at Neptune, 25 years is a long time and must provide you with an invaluable perspective as to where you’ve been, and where you’re going as a team. What’s this last year been like at Neptune with the impact of Covid?
DT: Well, we’ve been affected just like many other organizations in the industry. Our Designer Group have all worked from home since March. It’s forced us to become adaptable faster than we ever could have imagined. The way we view teamwork itself has changed – everyone has been working toward creating daily habits around productivity. The Covid challenge has accelerated many changes in business culture from how projects are managed, to how we communicate as a team. It’s been challenging, but positive changes have resulted. I’m proud of my team and their ability to be adaptable and flexible.
SB: I don’t think anyone initially expected the Covid impact to be as long lasting as it has become. But you can’t stop skill development, and you can’t stop investing in your team’s future. How has LEARN Online helped fill that gap?
DT: There is no doubt that professional development has been different this year, but you’re right, stopping our training goals wasn’t an option. We initially got started by connecting with our value-added reseller, Tristar. They were able to connect us to the right folks at PTC University to discuss training options. We absolutely needed to invest in our people and processes. For my team, the essential part of LEARN Online is that it provided flexibility. Up until Covid, we always sent our staff to outside training or brought an instructor on site. The situation has made us rethink our entire training philosophy.
SB: What have your thoughts been on the product and how has your staff reacted?
DT: We’ve enjoyed it. To be honest, it’s had lots of positive feedback. I first heard about LEARN Online at the PTC User Conference in Phoenix. It immediately appealed to me for my group. I have five designers and we are looking for ways to allow them to train with freedom. This program allows me to assign them courses, but also allows them to explore their own interests, which is what we’ve seen happen. The planning of training and intensive scheduling of logistics has been completely removed and that has proved to be a tremendous benefit.
SB: What else has stood out to you?
DT: Sometimes it’s the things that you don’t even realize have been a problem. With LEARN, each class is only three hours so it’s much less likely that you’ll be interrupted. We have staff that have different levels of experience with different CAD products. Those folks will know from their background that functionality in the software exists but may need a quick orientation of the latest UI. These half-day classes are ideal for that scenario and we’ve really seen productivity increase.
SB: So, when it comes to that scenario you mentioned, when you have an experienced engineer but perhaps they are new to Creo or need an update on its latest functionalities, what kind of time savings does that look like?
DT: I would guess it’s been about 25% faster to get that group skilled up on Creo solely because of our LEARN Subscription. And it’s not limited to those who have a certain technical background. We have folks with both manufacturing and engineering concentrations, LEARN has been invaluable to both groups.
SB: Excellent! That’s a really meaningful data point. How about seasoned users in your organization? Is LEARN as valuable to that group?
DT: Seasoned users are using Creo LEARN as well. We’ve had Creo since the early 90s, so as with any software, it’s been continually updated and augmented with new functionality. At Neptune, users from all experience levels use LEARN to adapt and upskill. For example, we recently had a project here that required sheetmetal expertise. Our designers took the Creo LEARN sheetmetal courses to prepare them for that particular project. There was no delay in waiting for scheduled training or asking my people to travel during Covid. They found three hours on their own time and were able to close that gap quickly.
SB: Included in a LEARN Subscription is product certification. Has your team taken advantage of that offering?
DT: Absolutely. When we first rolled out LEARN, I had my team take the Creo Fundamentals exam as a baseline. Looking at the results of those exams, we were able to quickly see where the gaps in skill sets were and correct those with the corresponding half-day sessions. After that, the team retook the exam and I’m pretty certain that the entire group now has their Creo Fundamentals Certification.
SB: How did the team react when they didn’t immediately pass the exam?
DT: It was actually very motivating for them. Creo is a big product, it takes time and experience to grow your skills and capabilities are being added all the time. There’s a ton of power in Creo. It’s a real accomplishment to earn your certification and a lot of engineer personnel (i.e., drafters, designers, and engineers) are proud of that achievement. In addition, once they passed the exam, they received the digital badge, which they shared out on social channels. That promotion of their skills not only helped us as a company, but it added value to their individual career paths.
SB: It sounds like they really see earning those credentials as a badge of honor. Have different groups in the organization heard about the Certification Program and expressed interest?
DT: Yes, and it’s been an exciting area of opportunity. For example, my drafting team and design team, with entry-level CAD knowledge, may not know about Creo Simulation. On the other hand, our engineers don’t typically do drawings. We strategically used that certification exam as a baseline to help identify areas where they could grow. I was surprised at the results. We did have a couple folks pass initially right off the bat without any training, but it truly allowed the entire team to identify potential weaknesses. Several of them went back, on their own accord, to shore up those skills. So again, it’s been highly motivating and extremely effective.
SB: So, if you had to tell another customer who was considering purchasing a LEARN Online Subscription, what would you say has been the most significant benefit?
DT: Without a doubt, it’s the flexibility. I don’t have to look at our schedule to block out days of training at a time or ask my team to travel. These half-day, small learning sessions allow folks to go in when they have a few free hours and use that time to complete their development goals. That time savings has truly been immeasurable. I’d also say if your company is currently evaluating this offering, really consider it, because we’ve gained a lot. I could see us eventually expanding out the number of LEARN licenses we have as more and more groups express interest. Here at Neptune, we’ve really gotten a lot of value out of this offering, especially this year, and all the unique challenges it presented.
SB: This has been such an impactful testimonial to the LEARN Online program, David. Thank you for your time and insights.
For more on how your organization can benefit from a LEARN Online Subscription, head to our web site at https://www.ptc.com/en/ptc-university/subscription.