Plant operator training that turns operators into troubleshooters.
We work closely with you to build plant operator training for refineries, petrochemical plants and other process facilities, including training material, procedures, work processes and technical documentation.
Traditional training material vs. PeopleCore
Dense text manuals are hard to read and harder to remember. Ours are built around pictures of your real equipment.
Why companies outsource operator training to us
- Faster operator qualification
- Fewer safety and environmental incidents
- Fewer emergency shutdowns
- Institutional knowledge captured
- Better reliability
- Process optimized for target output
- Higher employee engagement
Designed for how people learn
Most technical operator training still follows the “chalk and talk” method. It can take years for an operator to reach even minimal performance, because it ignores how our brains are wired to learn. The result is training that is dense, disorganized and often inaccurate.
Brain-friendly learning, built in
- Actual equipment pictures
- Photos of the real equipment operators will run, so they connect the material to the actual thing.
- Graphic-driven
- Images are processed far faster than words and remembered longer.
- Right level of detail
- Only what operators need to know, without dense “nice-to-know” filler.
- Hierarchical
- Tiered learning that builds from the ground up on prior knowledge.
- Micro-learning
- Information broken into small portions that are easy to remember.
- Experiential
- Hands-on activities connect concepts to mental models and real experience.
- Consistency and repetition
- The same color coding throughout. If a crude line is lime green, it stays lime green everywhere.
- Knowledge and skill checks
- Checks after each section, plus instructor guides with a step-by-step delivery road map.
- Multiple formats
- PDF, animation, video, Word, PowerPoint, Visio, and eLearning in Articulate or Captivate.
Implementation is where most programs struggle
Many programs assume excellent documentation will create excellent behavior. In the real world, you need meaningful instruction to turn written intentions into results.
We support you in delivering the material, including a technical operator training guide that structures your program and doubles as a sign-off sheet, plus assessments to test knowledge and retention.
- Results-oriented: instructional design that bridges knowledge and action
- Practical: a focus on the why and the how, so learning applies immediately
- Graphic-driven: built for today’s visual learners
What our plant operator training covers
Each program is built around your site, so operators learn the unit they actually run.
- Units and process flow
- How the unit operates from feed to product, taught from your P&IDs and process flow diagrams.
- Systems and equipment
- Pumps, compressors, exchangers, furnaces, columns and the other equipment operators run every shift, shown with photos of your equipment.
- Procedures and normal operation
- Startup, normal operation and shutdown, matched to your approved operating procedures.
- Troubleshooting and abnormal conditions
- What changes when the process is upset, what to check first, and how to bring the unit back to target.
- Process control
- Control loops, alarms and interlocks, and how they protect the unit.
- Qualification
- Knowledge checks after each section, assessments, and a training guide that doubles as a sign-off sheet.
How a plant operator training program is built
- 1. Gather your information
- We start from your P&IDs, procedures, operating limits and photos of your equipment.
- 2. Develop the material
- Graphic-driven modules, instructor guides and assessments, in the formats you need: printable, tablet-friendly or eLearning.
- 3. Review for accuracy
- Every module goes through two technical reviews: a Client SME Review with your subject matter experts, and a PeopleCore Technical Review by our industry SMEs.
- 4. Deliver and qualify
- Your trainers deliver the program with our instructor guides. Train the Trainer prepares them to do it well.
What we build
Open a sample to view it here.
Fundamentals and basic operator training
The 16-module BOT course for new operators.
See the modulesFacility and unit overview
A refining unit overview module.
View sampleDuties
Step-by-step duty training, such as pulling a sample.
View samplePipeline operator training
Training for pipeline operations.
View demoJob duties training
Role-based job duty material.
View demo
Also available: systems, equipment, process technology, process control, process safety, and board or console operator material, in eLearning, printable and tablet-friendly formats.
Watch
PeopleCore's approach
Animation: feed-forward loop
Questions we hear
- What is plant operator training?
- Training that teaches operators how their unit, systems and equipment work, how to follow the procedures, and how to recognize and respond to abnormal conditions. PeopleCore builds plant operator training for your site, not generic courseware.
- Do you build the training from our own documents?
- Yes. We develop the material from your P&IDs, procedures, operating limits and photos of your equipment, then review it with your subject matter experts.
- How does it relate to Basic Operator Training?
- Basic Operator Training covers the fundamentals every new operator needs. Plant operator training builds on it with the specific units and equipment at your site.
- Who delivers the training?
- Your in-house trainers, supported by our instructor guides and assessments. Our Train the Trainer workshop prepares them to deliver it.