Pratt & Whitney (A UTC Subsidiary)

Customer Success Story:

Background

When it comes to continuous development of a highly talented workforce, not too many companies can surpass the record of United Technologies Corporation (UTC). The company has its own internal University, an established Learning and Development division, and an online Learning Portal. Additionally, UTC offers certification credits that motivate employees to complete critical training programs.

Since 2000, iKnowledge Solutions has worked in partnership with UTC to provide employees with advanced courses in Unigraphics, Teamcenter Engineering, and CATIA. iKS learning management system, i.get.it, is linked to UTCs Learning Portal, allowing students to register for self-paced or classroom training programs.

iKS has also assisted UTCs subsidiaries by delivering effective training programs; from customized, process-based Electrical Workbench training for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, to self-paced training programs in NX (formerly called Unigraphics) for Pratt & Whitney.

Over the past ten years, iKS has developed a partnership with Pratt & Whitneys Engineering Technical University (ETU) to address their evolving training requirements and business needs.

Targeted Business Needs

Many of the most talented and experienced engineers of aerospace engine design work at Pratt & Whitney. For years, these engineers have used complicated statistics methodologies and sophisticated design software to build aircraft engines that, today, are found in half of the worlds commercial fleet.

Over the years, iKS has partnered with Pratt & Whitney to provide classroom training in NX, a PLM design application the company utilizes to create its acclaimed aircraft engines. The ETU wanted to streamline the delivery of their NX training and also put in place a solution that would provide for the distribution of proprietary courseware, best practices, and procedures to approved outside suppliers. Utilizing the combined power of UTCs Learning Portal and i.get.it, iKS was able to deliver the solution. Today, a blended approach that incorporates both classroom training and online training ensures the availability of the material that internal employees and external suppliers need; thus, increasing the overall productivity of the operation.

The Next Challenge

The ETU was also focused on creating online engineering courseware for important topics such as Weibull statistics a methodology that plays a critical role in the companys design process, particularly relating to safety. As its very difficult to find specialists in this field, Pratt & Whitney needed to transfer the knowledge of their experts into a format that would teach the same level of expertise to the companys next generation of engineers.

Admin

Customer Success Story:

Solution Overview

Customer Profile Headquarters in East Hartford,

Connecticut Parent company comprised of

210,000 employees Commercial engines found in

over 150 countries Aircraft engines used by over

27 armed forcess

Business Requirements Blend instructor-led training

with online courses Revamp complex course

material into a more engaging format

Provide 24/7 access to courses, best practices, and procedures to employees and suppliers

i.get.it e-Learning Solution Supports instructor-led training

with online courses Anytime and anywhere access

to training

Custom Content Development Interactive, online courses

created out of difficult training material

Tandem partnership with Pratt & Whitney to develop custom curriculum

Benefits Lower overall business costs Flexible training schedules Faster learning curves Highly trained workforce in a

competitive industry

Pratt & Whitney required a vendor that could create engaging, interactive courses out of the companys existing course materials. This vendor also needed to deliver the courses in a way that all authorized users could access at any time.

Solution

iKS i.get.it was identified as an ideal method to house and distribute Pratt & Whitneys content, but the real test remaining was whether iKS could create custom courseware out of material not easily understood by most people.

iKS leader in Flash technical content, David Francis, impressively rose to this challenge. David dedicated himself to understanding our business processes. He sat in on several instructor-led sessions to learn how our experts explained design procedures and processes, and then put all the information he absorbed into a creative, interactive format for our engineers, recalled Mary Matyas - Associate Provost - ETU.

David affirmed that a hands-on approach was needed to create courses that would engage students and diminish the learning curve for such complex material. What I ultimately wanted to achieve was to capture the personal gems of wisdom from Pratt & Whitneys instructors - the kind of teaching that cant be conveyed in flat PowerPoint slides, he said.

Mary agreed this was an important factor in increasing student interest and diminishing the learning curve for topics: One of our course topics discusses Parts Cost, particularly design issues that can drive up costs. David created an interactive game in the course called The Price is Right that added a bit of fun to the subject, while at the same time imparting the specific mistakes that can send costs skyrocketing. And this was just one example of a way he made the courses more appealing and interactive.

Results

Pratt & Whitney has accomplished its ultimate training goal: provide greater access to both employees and suppliers to course material, best practices, and procedures.

Its about ease of use. Training must be enabled whenever and wherever the team needs it. When learners can complete training based on their schedules, it is more effective in terms of both cost and productivity. With online training, the courses are available all of the time and not subject to schedules, facility availability, and resources.

Its about people. The development of compelling training courses cannot take place in a vacuum. iKS David Francis has become part of the ETU team and plays a critical role in the success of the partnership.

Ultimately, the success of this partnership is a result of learning together and making the right adjustments, Mary concluded. For example, in the course of creating the online environment and the custom courseware, we realized that in certain situations the teams wanted and needed classroom training options. In other words, online courses do not replace classroom training entirely a balanced blend of offerings is required. By blending online, interactive training with more traditional classroom training, the teams receive the greater benefit and a lower overall cost to the business.

Pratt & Whitney is a global leader in commercial and military aircraft engines, gas turbines, and space propulsion systems. The company has pioneered many of the most technological advances in aviation.