Assess the Training Audience Before Scheduling a Technical Refresher

Staff turnover can leave a laboratory with users who received different amounts of platform education. A field application scientist should assess that audience before offering a refresher. A single webinar may be useful, but it cannot certify that people are ready to operate independently under the laboratory’s competency process.

Ask who will attend, what experience each user has, which tasks cause uncertainty, and what current approved materials are already available. Learn whether the lab manager needs an introductory session, a refresher focused on a workflow, or support identifying topics for local follow-up. Keep the training promise precise: explain approved material and support questions rather than make a competency determination.

In a fictional call, a senior research associate asks, “Can you certify that they are ready after a single webinar?” The scientist replies, “I can tailor an approved education session to the users’ experience and cover the questions they have. Your laboratory decides readiness through its own process. Could we group the new users by prior experience and identify the tasks that need attention?” The associate discovers that two users need an introductory orientation while another needs help locating the current instructions.

For practice, build three attendee profiles and select an education format for each. Ask the trainee to state the training objective, the materials used, and the laboratory owner for competency follow-up. This makes the session more relevant and preserves the customer’s responsibility for local readiness.