media release

Date: May 25, 2017
Contact: Liz Novak, Director of Marketing and Communications, +913.345.1005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
​

IAPD University Debuts Training Center to Rave Reviews

Overland Park, KS — IAPD University, the education and training division of the International Association of Plastics Distribution (IAPD), announced a robust new online training center on www.iapd.org. The expanded training center includes IAPD’s proprietary courses on performance plastics and sales training, along with more than one hundred business, compliance, leadership, technology, safety and other training courses. The training center is a convenient, affordable way for IAPD members to train all of their employees -- whether they are centrally located at the company headquarters or geographically dispersed branch personnel -- while saving thousands of dollars over other training options.

Incoming IAPD President Rick Gough of Polymershapes had this to say about the new and improved training center, “Education is a priority for us at Polymershapes. We are always looking for ways to advance our employees knowledge in an efficient and effective manner. IAPD has put together a world-class training center that does just that. We are excited to partner with them to expand our own internal training.”

IAPD member companies are dedicated to training their employees and have been avid consumers of IAPD’s proprietary courses. In fact, members have expressed an increased need for anytime/anywhere training on a broad array of topics, which will be served with the new training center. Whether your employees work primarily in the office or are “road warriors,” they will be able to access their training no matter where they travel. Managers will be able to ensure that all employees get the proper training for their job, which is especially important in areas such as health, safety and compliance, where training can literally make the difference between a life and death situation.

“As a manufacturer, I am thrilled with these new training options,” stated Deborah Wright-Harris of Polymer Industries. “Our company will not only save money by sending our employees through required training on IAPD’s platform, we will also save time. In the past, our employees have had to travel offsite to complete training causing them to miss up to two days of work in some instances. This is a win for us all around.”

“IAPD’s new expanded training center is an excellent resource for our members and is just one of the many reasons we’ve designated 2017 as The Year of Education,” said IAPD CEO Susan E. Avery, CAE. “The system provides a solution for the growing demand of educational opportunities our members seek. It houses the current trainings in IAPD University, provides a platform for the continued growth of IAPD offerings and provides access to training on the most requested topics. Every program and service IAPD provides is designed with the simple goal of helping our members increase profitability and this training center is another way of adding value while also helping our members save money.”

An exciting new feature of the training center is the ability for IAPD member companies to create customized training micro-sites. These training micro-sites are branded with the company’s logo and come pre-populated with the courses that the company wants to include as part of their employees’ training regimen.

Proper training has been proven to create happier, more productive, more loyal employees. Studies show that businesses with a strong learning culture have employee engagement and retention rates 30-50 percent higher than their peers. A well-trained employee has an 11 percent increase in job satisfaction. In general, learning innovation drives a 14 percent improvement in productivity and 73 percent of learning leaders report positive changes in staff behavior as a result to their commitment to training.

About IAPD

The International Association of Plastics Distribution (IAPD), established in 1956, brings together performance plastics distributors, fabricators, manufacturers, manufacturers’ representatives, recyclers and service providers in an environment which encourages a free flow of ideas and information that help members build their businesses. Every program and service we provide is designed with the simple goal of helping our members increase profitability. Membership in IAPD is an affordable business investment. IAPD provides training, connections with customers and suppliers and information about developments that impact the industry.

This release and more are available in IAPD’s Press Room.

###