HEAT.U (HARDI’s Education and Training University) is an online learning system that provides more than 4,000 e-learning courses designed to meet the development needs of specific positions within the wholesale distribution industry.

“We heard from our board of directors during our strategic planning session that HARDI members needed our expertise in creating position-specific curricula taking the guesswork out of the equation and empowering our members to develop their employees both strategically and efficiently,” said Emily Saving, director of education and research foundation, HARDI.

The HEAT.U system has also enabled HARDI to launch its new branch manager certification program, which has been constructed to ensure that branch manager participants obtain a clear return on investment with tangible, measurable performance results.

“The program is unique because it allows each branch manager to first undergo a series of assessments so the certification program is customized to his or her specific learning needs,” said Saving. “In addition, our program offers a major focus on the application of lessons learned and on creating lasting behavior change, which requires more from branch managers than simply committing training material to memory. It requires enacting changed behavior on the job.”

The variety of e-learning courses, in addition to HARDI’s branch manager certification, counter certification, and independent study curriculum, is now available exclusively through HEAT.U. HARDI members can access the system directly through HARDI’s website.

“I think our professional development committee and Emily have broken the mold in distributors’ professional development strategies and resources,” said Talbot Gee, executive vice president, COO, HARDI. “They have developed a data-driven, results-oriented professional development infrastructure for our members that will not only develop their workforce but also reap the benefits in terms of employee satisfaction, increased tenure, heightened customer service, and ultimately increased profitability.”

Publication date: 6/25/2012