‘We also innovate with our e-learning modules’

Creating and organising e-learning modules is Katinka de Rooij’s daily job. It’s an important task at JOZ, because training methods have changed considerably since the pandemic. ‘We use interactive training courses to teach dealers to work with our products,’ says Katinka. Read on to find out more about Katinka’s work, and what it means for her to go the extra mile with colleagues every day.

Agricultural sector

Katinka grew up in a small village. She didn’t live on a farm herself, but often visited agricultural companies, She became interested in the agricultural sector from an early age. A few years after studying Animal Husbandry in Leeuwarden, Katinka joined JOZ: ‘I think it’s very important to use my skills for this sector. JOZ is therefore the ideal company for me, because together we do everything we can to make farming easier’.

‘We look at how we can enable farmers to continue to do their work, and remove as many obstacles as we can. Thanks to the products that JOZ makes, we offer farmers a real future. I love being a part of that, part of a group who share the same passion and drive for development, progress and growth.’

Helping dealers move forward

Katinka works on the e-learning modules for JOZ dealers. ‘My main task at the moment are the e-learning modules dealing with our manure robots and feeding robots. It’s very important that dealers understand how to install our machines, because the machines then run much better. Besides installation, the e-learning modules deal with maintenance and possible malfunctions, so dealers are also helped in that area.’

‘The e-learning modules are designed to teach dealers to think for themselves as much as possible,’ Katinka continues. ‘We give them tools to do this. It makes no sense to include everything down to the smallest detail, because at the end of the day every situation is slightly different. The e-learning modules also have to be doable, and not oblige dealers to take days off.’

So how do you make sure that you provide e-learning in a way that actually helps dealers progress? ‘Before we launched this training method, we spoke to various dealers to find out their wishes,’ explains Katinka. ‘When designing the modules, I’m now aware of the importance of the form – in terms of using images, animation or video, for example. We look at the best way of doing this for each subject, which ensures we get the message across to dealers in the most appropriate way.’

Even more possibilities

Katinka sees endless possibilities when it comes to providing training. ‘We’re currently looking at the potential of Augmented Reality (AR),’ she says. ‘We bought a HoloLens which we can use to place virtual images in reality. This can help with the installation of a new machine. I’m very interested in what it will deliver, and this kind of technological advance obviously fits the JOZ philosophy perfectly. We innovate on all sides, and that includes e-learning.’