Upskilling: New word for STLE’s core value
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report March 2020
Technical changes and challenges demand lifelong learning.
The latest version of STLE’s Emerging Trends Report, due in May, examines the electric vehicle market, a topic not even mentioned in the original 2014 release.
There’s a trendy way to describe an STLE member benefit that goes back to the organization’s founding more than 75 years ago.
Upskilling is defined as the business of expanding your personal knowledge base beyond what was learned in a full-time university education program.
Thought-leaders in technology and business are stressing its importance. In a recent interview, John Hennessy, the former president of Stanford University who is now non-executive board chair of Alphabet (Google’s parent company) explained the concept.
“At Stanford, many years ago we thought of part-time education as primarily focused on getting people master’s degrees, he said. “Today, it’s a certificate--three courses in machine learning, three courses in cybersecurity and block chain--that can allow people to upskill themselves broadly across the field.”
Much like the people that Hennessy is describing, STLE members are already well-educated. Research shows that more than 40% have earned an advanced degree in science or engineering. However, the point of his comment is that the rapid and accelerating change in all technical fields demands ongoing education.
The latest edition of STLE’s Emerging Trends and Issues Report, to be released in May, tracks many of the major new developments in tribology and lubrication. Key areas detailed include transportation, energy, manufacturing and medical/health application sectors.
How quickly are things changing? The first Trends Report, published in 2014, included no discussion of electric vehicles. In the 2020 Report, there is a heavy focus on the impact that the expected shift toward pure electric vehicles will have on the tribology and lubricants business and the people who work in it. Many other areas also are experiencing rapid market changes and different technology requirements.
Given these shifts, how does STLE support individuals and companies with the upskilling opportunities needed to keep pace? Here are three options.
- TLT magazine provides readers with a wealth of practical information every month. In addition, the TLT archives found on the STLE website gives members access to prior issues dating back to 2009—that’s more than 130 complete issues and 1,500 articles on literally every aspect of tribology and lubrication engineering.
- Learning Pathways is another website-based reference. This body of knowledge includes extensive peer-reviewed reference materials filtered by relevant key subject areas (additives, base oils, hydraulics, etc.) and then further divided into Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced competency levels for better use as a self-study or reference guide. Pathways also includes a glossary of terms that defines everything from absolute viscosity to ZDP – as well as most other terms in between.
- The upcoming 2020 Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Chicago on May 3-7 offers 11 professional education courses as part of the technical program. These range from instruction on the fundamental concepts in lubricants and lubrication to others exploring newer technical horizons like nano-tribology. Meeting details and course descriptions are available on the STLE website at www.stle.org.
Education remains at the center of STLE’s Connect-Learn-Achieve value proposition. According to the most recent member needs study, 70% of respondents rated industry specific educational programs and resources as the number one reason for becoming a member. In the future, look to our organization for the technical skills needed to upskill and capitalize on opportunities presented by the changing technical landscape.
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.