How to understand the “next normal”
Edward P. Salek, CAE, Executive Director | TLT Headquarters Report May 2021
Experts says education and training will be key.
Look to organizations like STLE for ready-made education programs.
Professional development is part of STLE’s DNA. When the organization was launched more than 75 years ago, the founders cited five purposes for the new entity. No. 1 on their list was to advance knowledge about lubrication science.
Much has changed since that guiding principle was expressed in 1944. But, in 2021, the STLE Strategic Plan includes a professional development goal that’s remarkably consistent. The plan seeks to have STLE be recognized as the go-to resource for knowledge in lubrication and tribology as well as world-class certification.
How we strive to reach that goal is, of course, much different than 1944. There have been huge technical advances in the field and new challenges and opportunities presented by both internal and external market forces.
One such external factor is digital technology. It is enabling organizations like STLE to provide education in a variety of formats that are responsive to the needs of our professional community and the realities of a world still struggling with the effects of a pandemic.
This month, for example, STLE will present the first Virtual Annual Meeting & Exhibition, May 17-20. Before and after the general meeting, STLE will offer five online education courses so participants can conveniently attend the virtual conference and trade show—and take as many courses as they desire.
If advance registration trends continue, total education course attendance could reach 250-300 participants. Course descriptions and registration information are available at
www.stle.org. Note that course attendance is not included in the general annual meeting fee. Separate registration is required.
The reasons behind this robust attendance seem related to convenience. STLE’s Education Committee noted recently that the virtual format in 2021 offers participants the opportunity to attend a greater variety of courses and makes the program accessible to a much larger audience.
STLE’s experience is part of a much larger trend that’s being noted by some of the top organizations that track developments in the business world. The New York Times has reported that new online tools and an array of remote classes and programs are ramping up education and training for adults. As a result, the newspaper described the online adult-education market as “flourishing,” especially among not-for-profit organizations like STLE.
The experts at McKinsey and Co., the global business consulting firm, are expressing a similar opinion. In a recent online post, McKinsey urged companies and organizations to “…focus on the resilience of your learning ecosystem: make it both more digital (including in-sync digital components to replace in-person ones) and more accessible to your employees.” Significantly, the consultancy advised businesses to “leverage the ready-made learning journeys and objects of external partners.” In other words, look to organizations like STLE for ready-made education programs.
In McKinsey’s view, doing so will allow companies to “use your training budget to make skill building a key strategic lever for adapting to the next normal.” What that next normal will look like for the lubricants industry is an open question. Rapid change is being driven by global firms making a commitment to carbon-neutral products, by the shift to electric vehicle production and by a general re-evaluation of how lubricants will be used in the transportation, energy, manufacturing and medical/ health sectors.
Providing a technical workforce with the skills needed to understand these changes and capitalize on potential opportunities will require the type of training and reeducation being talked about by the New York Times and McKinsey. These are complex changes, but finding the source of the training needed to deal with those changes is simple. Look to STLE, because since 1944, we have been focused on advancing knowledge about lubrication science.
You can reach Certified Association Executive Ed Salek at esalek@stle.org.