An absolute best practice for critical facilities is a site-specific performance-based training program. A performance-based training program is more than a set of classes, it is a structured curriculum based on proven instructional strategies and techniques that develop student’s skills and knowledge. It focuses on the specific skills and knowledge that students need to fulfill the duties and responsibilities associated with their job descriptions by use of instructional techniques including a combination of academics, demonstration, and on-the-job supervision. And, as with most “best practices,” it requires pre-planning, programming, design and development, implementation, and a continuous improvement process to keep it current and optimized.
A key part of developing a quality performance-based training program for a facilities management organization is to start with a clear understanding of who the target audience is and what their respective job requirements will be. The starting point for the training has to be defined. This is done by establishing the assumed pre-requisites that each student must have to qualify for entering the training program. Many of these pre-requisites should also be included in the new hire job posting and base-level job description under candidate “qualifications.”