There are many ways to practice the craft of lifelong learning. Training and educating employees and providing a clear path for succession in specific company positions are methods getting a significant amount of attention these days.

　　At General Electric, Jeffrey Immelt's recent succession of longtime chair Jack Welch brought to a close many months of speculation about Welch's successor, and resulted in a relatively long transition period. Never before has the changing of the guard at a major corporation generated so much interest, not only in the business world, but in the general public.

　　如何成功地培养经营接班人

　　所谓终身学习其实有很多种方法。培训员工，提供继续教育，规划出一条清晰的途径，使员工能接替公司的某些特定岗位，这些都成为近来很吸引人的方法。

　　在通用电器公司，作为在位很久的总裁杰克·韦尔奇的继位者，杰弗里·伊梅尔特的上台不仅平息了"韦尔奇的位子由谁来坐"这个长达数月的猜测，也使公司进入了一段相对时间比较长的权力交接的过渡期。而在这之前，一家大公司掌门人的更迭从没有引起过人们这么大的兴趣，关注不仅集中在商界，社会公众也对此非常感兴趣。

　　People were interested for good reason. Welch's career represents an almost unprecedented streak of profits for GE and an enormous increase in stock value. Except for a few brief periods in recent years, General Electric has had the highest market capitalization of any company in the world. Additionally, in a day and age when bi-directional loyalty between companies and their employees seems to be a thing of the past, GE has been the acknowledged leader in providing corporate training programs that actively develop its people and their leadership skills.

　　人们的兴趣并不是没有道理的。韦尔奇的职业生涯为通用电器带来了可以说是前无古人的高额经济利益和股票市值的巨大增长。除了近几年中的几个短暂时间段外，通用电器一直是世界上市场资本总额最高的公司。另外，在公司和雇员之间的双向忠诚度似乎已成为陈年旧事的今天，通用电器在提供公司培训项目，积极帮助员工自身发展和提高领导能力方面已经成为公认的业界领袖。

　　Given the press that the GE event generated, boards everywhere have been examining their training and succession management programs. The tightness of last year's labor market for skilled employees is another factor that led companies to step up their efforts to attract and retain workers. Even under current labor conditions, companies want the best employees they can find. They realize that economic conditions will ultimately shift and that they will need to prepare for changes by maintaining a long-term approach to learning within the company.

　　受通用电器公司这一事件的促使，其他公司的董事会也在审查他们的培训和接替人选管理计划。而去年劳动力市场上有经验的雇员的紧缺也是导致各公司致力于吸引和留住雇员的另一重要因素。即便在当前的劳动力市场情况下，公司仍然希望能找到最优秀的雇员。他们意识到，经济状况终有一天会改变，因此需要为此做好准备，而方法就是在公司内部保持一个从长远观点出发的学习培训规划。

　　Many people think that only technology workers receive training preferences, but this is not the case. Computers have made it easier and more economical for companies to offer training to employees at all levels. These programs can deliver not only basic training, but also succession planning and cross-training to all employees. Online and distance-learning programs permit an "anywhere, anytime" approach to providing instruction, across a range of industries and occupations.

　　很多人认为只有技术工人才比较容易得到培训的机会，而事实并非如此。电脑已经使得公司对各个层次员工的培训更加方便，也更经济。这些培训计划不仅对全体员工提供基本训练，还包括接替人选的规划和换位培训。在线和远程的培训计划使得"无论何时何地"对不同的行业和职位提供指导成为可能。

　　In addition to formal courses, companies must examine how they cross-train their employees. In larger companies with multiple divisions, a few years in several businesses under the same corporate umbrella can produce a well-rounded employee. As employees move from one area to another, they often take with them a fresh approach to meeting the challenges in the new environment. This form of successful succession can be very important.

　　除了一般正式的课程之外，公司还应该考虑如何对员工进行换位培训。对于一家拥有众多部门的大公司来说，在不同的领域都有几年的工作经验将造就一个全面发展的雇员。当员工从一个部门转到另一个部门时，他们常会以全新的姿态去迎接新环境的挑战。以这种方式成功地培养接替人选是十分重要的。

　　Some might say that on-the-job training programs are a luxury only larger companies can afford, but it can be equally effective for small or medium-sized companies to provide similar, if smaller-scale programs. In the environment of a small business, where each person carries a larger share of the company's burden, such a program can mean the difference between a company's success and failure when employees leave a company or are out sick for extended periods of time.

　　有人可能会说在职培训计划代价高昂，只有大公司才承受得起。其实对于中小型公司来说，提供类似的、规模较小的培训计划同样有效。在一个小公司里，每一个人都承担相对分额较大的工作量，那么这种培训计划的有无就可能决定着公司的成败，特别是当有人离开公司或因病长期出缺时。

　　Looking at fresh ideas keeps a business vital, and training and other forms of lifelong learning are great sources of fresh ideas. Many organizations give lip service to how well their employees are treated and how much they contribute to the company's success. Fewer have a formal learning program in place. It is not that difficult to do. All that is required is the willingness to act.

　　寻找新的想法使公司保持生机和活力。而培训和其他方式的终身学习则是产生新想法的上佳源泉。很多机构口头上总是说他们的员工待遇是如此之好，他们对于公司的贡献如此之大，而事实上，他们却没有一个正式的培训计划。要做到这一点并不很难，所需要的只是采取行动的意愿而已。