We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.

That powerful quote from Albert Einstein was shared during a keynote address at Index AR Solutions’ annual conference and highlighted the tipping point U.S. industries have reached trying to solve their most pressing workforce development challenges.

While the situation is dire, the Index conference held at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia showed how multimodal learning tools designed using Index eBooks and mobile apps are fundamentally changing the workforce development game.

The conference featured a morning session where participants engaged with Index’s mobile apps and eBooks. Attendees had the opportunity to interact with augmented reality (AR) demonstrations, showcasing a selection of the company’s extensive portfolio of over 1,000 digital learning solutions. Index team members and clients shared insights at their respective displays, discussing the practical applications and benefits of these tools in real-world settings.

The event included presentations from notable industry and business leaders, kicking off with remarks from Index AR Solutions President & CEO Dan Arczynski.

“Multimodal learning is such a key part of everything we do at Index”, said Arczynski, offering insights into the company’s progress and future direction, while emphasizing Index’s commitment to advancing digital learning solutions.

Garo Hovnanian, Executive Vice President of Advisory Services at STV and former Partner at McKinsey & Company provided a keynote on “Understanding Today’s Workforce Challenges,” focusing on structural and systemic issues in the U.S. construction industry. He highlighted the need for truly fresh approaches to enhance productivity within project teams – something that is desperately needed in today’s increasingly challenged workforce environment.

“I think the industry has come around to the idea that we can’t just try harder in the ways we’ve always tried, but we have to try different, and that’s a pretty exciting time to be a part of,” said Hovnanian, referring to the challenges faced in construction and how multimodal learning solutions represent the kind of new thinking it will take to help overcome them.

While Index eBooks and mobile apps have been put to use in the front-line apprenticeships and other training programs of various industries for years, the tools are starting to shift left, now making their mark in the classrooms of forward-thinking community colleges and universities.

Conference attendees heard from William & Mary Professor of Biology, Emeritus, Paul Heideman Ph.D., who discussed examples of the kinesthetics and spatial sense of multimodal learning that have been vastly unappreciated in most college teaching.

The science behind multimodal learning was also a topic of discussion for presenter James Merlo, Ph.D., Vice President of Operational Excellence at KnowledgeVine.

“There is no limit to how much you can learn. The challenge is getting it back out through working memory, which is limited in size,” Merlo said. “But if I’ve committed a concept to song, committed it to sight, and committed it to vision, I’ve used multiple modalities to create retrieval cues, and the concept comes back.”

Healthcare is another field where leaders are exploring using multimodal learning tools to address contemporary workforce challenges.

“I think it’s great, because everyone learns a little bit differently,” said Dr. John Alex, Medical Director for the Riverside Simulation Training Lab. “When you provide multiple ways for people to learn a new skill, or reinforce a skill they already know, you have a better opportunity to develop expertise and competency.”

Index and its clients have found tremendous value in creating multimodal digital training content that is well vetted, accurate and tailored to each client’s needs. A key part of the company’s methodology for creating the content includes having Index team members work with a client’s subject matter experts on camera to demonstrate a task, explain a company process or share anecdotal stories.

“Honestly, it’s not the technology, it’s the team. I think with a team like Index, there’s a lot you can tackle,” said Damon Shackelford of Eastman Chemical Company.

Representatives from the utility Eversource Energy shared examples of how the Index team and content development process deliver results in their environment.

“I could probably take the whole conference talking about all the different challenges Index has been able to help us with,” said Francine Leal, Senior Instructional Designer at Eversource Energy.

Leal explained how the utility is using Index tools to help new hires understand large scale projects and processes, such as an underground cable pull. The process typically involves two separate manholes at different work zones which may not even be visible from one another.  The mobile apps developed by Index allows new workers to visualize the entire cable pull process so that when they are on the job site, they can easily make the connection between what they are seeing and how it relates to the whole operation.

While multimodal learning tools ultimately create a safer, more capable employee, Index Senior Vice President Scott Sommers urged attendees to also consider how modern training programs have become a recruiting differentiator.

“You’re going to have to do a much better job of going out and reaching into the community to draw people in, and you’re going to have to give them a reason to want to go and work with you, said Sommers. “Training is a huge part of that. The environment you create is a huge part of that.”

The interactive exhibits and expert presentations from the conference left attendees with a deeper understanding of how well-designed multimodal learning tools from Index can revolutionize training and workforce development.

“What’s exciting and great about this is that by sharing our different challenges and how we are applying these products, whether eBooks or applications, we can share different ways to problem-solve,” said John Arczynski, COO at Index.

To learn more, visit indexarsolutions.com/training.