Training our trainers: dental laboratory management's challenge for the next decade.

Training has been shown to be an important factor in the growth of successful dental laboratories. Many technicians have received extensive laboratory and managerial training in the midst of technician shortages, more sophisticated techniques and products. What can we do to insure the manpower needs of the dental laboratory industry will be met in the future? A potential answer is learning and developing the skills to train our supervisors who train our trainees. We must remember, however, the focus of effective training is not the product (books, tapes, slides, etc), but the processes we bring to the training arena. Understanding and implementing the S.M.A.R.T. system for training goals, having a thorough and workable knowledge of adult learning theory, spaced repetition, and the seven W's will assure the laboratory owner that he will be able to effectively address the manpower and training needs of a profession moving quickly in the new millennium.