HARDI’s Professional Development Committee announced the official launch of its new online education and management system, and its Branch Manager Certification program, two new products to benefit HARDI members and their professional development initiatives.

HARDI’s Education and Training University (HEAT.U) is an online learning system that provides over 4,000 e-learning courses, many of which have been carefully selected to meet the developmental needs of specific positions within wholesale distribution.

 

“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 HARDI Director of Education & Research Foundation, Emily Saving. The HEAT.U system has also enabled HARDI to launch its new Branch Manager Certification Program which has been carefully constructed to ensure that branch manager participants obtain a clear ROI 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,” commented 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 large variety of e-learning courses, in addition to HARDI’s Branch Manager Certification, Counter Certification, and Independent Study Curriculum are now available exclusively through HEAT.U. HARDI members can access the system directly though HARDI’s website.

 

“I think our Professional Development Committee and Emily have broken the mold in distributors’ professional development strategies and resources,” said HARDI Executive Vice President and COO Talbot Gee. “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.”

 

For more information, visit www.hardinet.org.