Press operators and maintenance personnel at The Tennessean newspaper have found a unique way to overcome the expenses, travel and disruptions to production that often stand in the way of essential training.

The Nashville paper is among the first to utilize new on-line training courses provided by Goss International.

"The quality of the training has been excellent, and our participants have really enjoyed the format," according to operations manager Duke Friedel. "On-line courses are definitely allowing us to train more efficiently and economically."

Goss International now offers on-line training courses for several of its press and folder models. Additional courses are being added based on the success of the format and on requests from publishers and printers, according to Rick Aubin, who oversees Goss International training programs in the United States.

"With advanced technology and current competitive pressures, training is more critical than ever, but it is something many printers and publishers are being forced to cut back on," explains Aubin. "The on-line option is a good alternative for accessing training programs that provide long-term benefits."

Crews at The Tennessean will complete an electrical troubleshooting course for their Goss Colorliner press in November. Goss International trainers are conducting this particular course in three-hour blocks over seven weeks. The flexibility of the on-line format has allowed crews from two different shifts at the paper to participate without interrupting production.

"Because our trainers and the participants are connecting over the Internet, we are finding that this format allows us to really cut costs and adapt the schedule to fit the needs of each individual customer," explains Aubin. "Face-to-face interaction may be the ideal format for training in some cases, but modern Internet tools can really get us very close to that experience," he adds.