Originally posted December 20, 2022
Updated April 12, 2024

ChemOps Training – A Modernized Solution Spanning Multiple Industries

By Jennifer Abril, President & CEO, SOCMA and Bill Almond, President, Adhesive & Sealant Council

How do you train new and current employees, or onboard incoming personnel? The answer may not be the same as it was in early 2020. With the lasting impact of the pandemic on all areas of industry, and the natural advancements in technology and equipment over time, training is vital to build and improve core competencies and increase productivity and capabilities across all sectors.

For both specialty chemicals and adhesives and sealants, quality training is paramount. Ensuring the safety of employees and their ability to successfully operate equipment is the number one priority. In these unprecedented times, workforce development issues seem to compound upon each other, making onboarding new operators and training long-term employees a necessary and integral part of a chemical plant’s success – in safety and in business.

Providing “Solutions for Specialties” is engrained in SOCMA’s mission to promote the highest levels of safety and strengthen the business operations of its membership. The Adhesive and Sealant Council (ASC) maintains very similar core objectives, promising to “Support in the development of existing educational programs” for the industry. With values so closely aligned, our two organizations are excited to partner together to provide ChemOps Training – an innovative, effective program to engage higher performance and empower industry workers.

But what if you don’t have the number of workers you need to keep up with the high demand specialty chemicals and adhesives and sealants are experiencing? Throughout our respective sectors, labor shortages and recruitment and retention are significant hurdles for almost every company.

These facilities are seeking solutions to train and onboard a workforce that, in some cases, is smaller in numbers, making efficiency in training more important than ever. A decrease in operators can also lead to trimming back on capacity and production, potentially leading to a vicious cycle and ultimately affecting company morale and the bottom line. This makes modernized training that can be customized to a particular facility based on unique capacities, capabilities and workforce know-how absolutely vital.

SOCMA’s modernized ChemOps Training includes 3D animations, self-assessments and learner progress tracking. It is the go-to source for comprehensive operator training in systems, practices and processes for the chemical industry at large. ChemOps units and modules cover material from basic science concepts, to risk management practices, to plant equipment and are accompanied with interactive exercises to ensure operators are retaining the information.

From varying roles and wide-ranging capabilities that both SOCMA and ASC member companies possess, ChemOps Training is unparalleled in the education it provides workers. The tool’s newest features were implemented through an instructional design strategy, underpinning clear learning objectives within each unit, ensuring any worker, whether new to the industry or using ChemOps as a refresher course, can meet expectations.

As capabilities and processes evolve and customer demand increases, optimized training for workers is essential to perform safely and effectively and deliver high-quality products. ChemOps Training enables companies to maintain strong safety cultures and is the solution for efficient training long desired by the specialty and adhesive and sealant industries. The program is adaptable and customizable to your facility, providing a personalized experience for your operators.

To learn more about how ChemOps Training can be implemented at your facility, contact SOCMA’s Technical & Safety team today for a personalized demo – Sarah Williams, Director of Technical & Safety, swilliams@socma.org.

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