The Training Within Industry Service (TWI) was established on June 22, 1940 after the fall of France to support the anticipated need to increase industrial production for the war effort. This was to be a temporary volunteer staff from industry. The first volunteers recruited were C.R. Dooley and Walter Dietz. They were requested for six weeks…and ended up staying until the close of the organization in September 1945.
“The TWI organization was planned in 1940 as a country-wide network of industrial training men each of whom would (1) establish a local industrial panel of volunteer consultants, and (2) serve as a link in a national chain in order to circulate useful techniques among the various industrial areas of the country.”
The directors of the TWI Service established the TWI Foundation in 1946 to continue their research and to improve the "J" programs.
By the end of 1943 the Directors realized that the programs impact could be more far reaching than mere training for new employees or new supervisors. They also observed programs failing in a very similar manner to the Lean programs today. They developed an internal training program that defined six steps needed to improve the success on implementation. In addition, they developed a short training program to standardize the sales of the TWI programs.
The TWI Foundation continued to update the training manuals until 1952. England continued the programs until 1978 and New Zealand until 1987.
Today, the most popular program is Job Instruction – even Toyota uses it nearly unchanged after 60 years!
