I don’t think I’m climbing too far out on a limb here to point out that some of the most interesting, most vibrant learning is taking place in the military and in the healthcare industry. Both the military and healthcare are often early adopters in training methodologies, fully embracing solutions like simulations far ahead of the curve.
That’s not surprising; nowhere is training more crucial, more a matter of life and death.
At HealthNet, a Fortune 200 health insurance company with about 10,000 employees and about $14 billion in revenues, one learning mission has taken on increased importance for a country at war.
According to Julius Schillinger, director of organizational effectiveness, HealthNet is seeing a huge increase in the number of post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD) patients, along with a large spike in domestic violence, higher anxiety levels in children and an increase in the suicide rate, among returning military members and their families. So if you needed more verification that war is bad for someone’s health, there it is.
“We’re literally talking about a couple hundred thousand soldiers coming back each year as new ones rotate in,” Schillinger said. 
HealthNet has responded to those growing numbers of PSTD patients by changing a segment of its workforce. In 2004, the company’s learning happened entirely in brick-and-mortar locations. Now, after HealthNet received its first military contract that year, the training staff grew to the equivalent of 800 employees (full-time, part-time and independent contractors), all licensed clinicians.
Those workers have been deployed around the world, to places like Korea, Germany and Turkey. Wherever, essentially, there’s a U.S. military base. Teams of counselors are also deployed to work at “reintegration centers” for returning soldiers.
Want an example of how busy HealthNet’s team is keeping? The company has a Child and Youth Services program that deals with children in military families. Over the past year, that program has expanded from 39 Army installations to operating on 170 Army, Air Force and Navy sites.
“To be able to deliver something around the country and around the world was quite a challenge,” Schillinger said.
All new hires have to take a course of training to prepare them for the new mission, including mandatory compliance training and PSTD training. New hires also have to take an orientation course, and HealthNet keeps on top of employee needs and concerns through annual surveys that track how well the company is communicating its mission, visions and strategies.
Those survey numbers are pretty impressive. According to Schillinger, 88% of employees completed the survey, with 70% rating the company favorable on providing opportunities. Also, 71 % think their supervisors are treating them fairly and 80% think all employees are treated the same in terms of human resources such as performance management.
Schillinger believes training is making a difference.
“Ever since we implemented these tools we’ve had an escalation in participation,” Schillinger said.
So there we go again: If we build it, they will come.
