Your first reaction to the headline may be skepticism--iPods as a training tool? It may sound like a sly way to buy upper management a new toy, but it is nothing like that. A restaurant chain has thrown away its DVD-based training videos in favor of iPod playlists--short 30 to 60 second video clips that show an employee exactly how to do just one thing. According to the company, it allows the employees to train at their workstation, where they can watch how to do something and then do it immediately.
The old way was to sit passively in front of a TV in the break room, away from the workplace, where they may forget much of what they watched by the time they get back to their workstation.
If you are thinking, "That sounds far-fetched," you may need to think again. It is quick and easy to produce video clips for the iPod--less work than mastering a DVD. And you can update and change individual segments easily, without the bother of having to remaster an entire DVD. And of course, young people are familiar with the iPod and know how to use it.
Economic Developers: Are you offering a short course to your local businesses on how to use the iPod for business?