The best job training happens at work

Lionel WIJESIRI

If you are a small or medium sized businessman with a limited training budget but committed to employee development, on-the-job training (OJT) may provide your the best answer.

OJT is job training that occurs in the work place. The new employee learns the job while doing the job and while earning his or her salary. OJT is also called hands-on- training.

OJT has many advantages, but it can also have a few disadvantages if it is not properly planned and executed. One major drawback can be finding the right time for it. The person responsible for giving and evaluating the training has to be sure that his or her other job responsibilities are being met.

Another disadvantage is that it can be difficult to find the right person to conduct it. The person doing the training must have the knowledge and skills with the same equipment or services that the learner will be working with.

Care must also be given not to pass on sloppy work habits or unintentionally teach irrelevant or inefficient work methods to the new worker.

If these disadvantages are eliminated, however, OJT can be beneficial for both the company and the new employee. It can be cost-effective for the business since a separate training program isn't required and the training is part of the actual work shifts.

No extra equipment is needed as the new worker learns on the equipment or services needed for the job anyway.

OJT often works out really well for the new employee since traditional training periods tend to have a training allowance that may be lower than the regular pay scale for the job.

Also, there is no need for the new worker to have to travel to one place for the training and another for the job.

Many times the person who will be doing the training and evaluation is the new worker's supervisor or manager so this also establishes job expectations right at the start. The feedback during the training is also immediate, so the new employee may experience faster growth in the job than he or she would in other types of training situations.

On-the-job training is still the predominant form of job training in the US and most European countries, particularly for non- managerial employees. Numerous studies indicate that it is the most effective form of job training.

OJT is particularly appropriate for developing proficiency skills unique to an employee's job - especially jobs that are relatively easy to learn and require locally-owned equipment and facilities.

Morale, productivity, and professionalism will normally be high in those organizations that employ a sound OJT program.

Types

Two different types of on-the-job training are frequently distinguished: structured (planned) and unstructured (unplanned).

Unstructured is the most common kind and refers to loose on-the-job training programs that largely involve a novice employee working with an experienced employee, who serves as a guide in an observe-and-imitate training process.

The new workers largely learn by trial and error with feedback and suggestions from experienced workers or supervisors. Unstructured training is designed based on work requirements, not on imparting job skilled needed by new workers.

Consequently, unstructured on-the-job training often fails to impart needed skills fully or consistently, because experienced employees sometimes are unable to articulate clearly the proper methods for performing a job and they sometimes use different training methods each time train new workers.

In contrast, structured on-the-job training involves a program designed to teach new workers what they must know and do in order to complete their tasks successfully.

An analysis of the major job requirements (identified in the position description and performance plan) and related knowledge, skills, and abilities form the basis for setting up a structured OJT plan.

Setting up

To establish a structured program, parameters must be set regarding issues such as who will conduct the training, what material will be covered, and how long training will last.

In addition, the following topics should be considered: selecting and preparing OJT trainers and coaches, working with supervisors for successful implementation, developing and or selecting training materials, setting trainee prerequisites, evaluating performance, granting company certification to trainers, coaches and trainees.

The process begins with the selection of qualified trainers and trainees: trainers must know the tasks and know how to communicate how to perform them and the trainees must be able to learn the tasks.

In addition, the tasks to be learned and the training goals must be identified. Based on this information, companies can establish a training program. Next, the training program is implemented: the experienced worker prepares to train the novice worker and takes steps to ensure that the trainee understands the tasks to be learned and that the trainee actually learns to perform these tasks. The implementation of the training program also follows a specific timetable and hence it should help new employees learn needed skills more quickly and systematically than unstructured programs. Finally, the training outputs result from the training inputs and the training program.

Trainees' responsibility

Trainees must be active participants in a coaching-based structured OJT program. They need to understand how coaching will benefit them. For the trainee-coach relationship to succeed, the trainee must be ready to learn, open to communicating honestly, and respectful of his or her assigned coach.

Trainees who commit to the relationship and see training as an opportunity to increase their skills will be most successful. Supervisors should communicate trainee roles to each of them before training starts.

Some level of basic knowledge, and sometimes skill, is required before learning any new job. The prerequisites to the job should be determined and documented as part of the OJT program. Formalizing the prerequisites will give everyone an understanding of what is minimally expected of someone new to a given job.

Trainers will be provided with a starting point, and trainees feel more confident knowing they have met certain standards. If trainees do not meet the prerequisites, what additional knowledge or skills they need before OJT begins will be clear.

If all goes well the training outputs should include the trainee being able to complete assigned tasks adequately in accordance with the training goals. After a training program is finished and new employees begin to work on their own, the training process-inputs, the training program, and outputs-must be assessed to make sure that it successfully prepared workers for their tasks and any necessary modifications should be made.

Investing in employees

An ongoing OJT programme can set any company ahead of the pack. Employees, particularly in younger generations, are eager to work for places that offer more than just a pay packet. They want to learn new skills.

Investing in workers will show a company's commitment to employees, which in turn fosters commitment in them. Not training employees creates the opposite of what any wants - indifferent, unmotivated workers.

In fact, trained employees need less supervision. That frees a company hierarchy on building its business, growing its customer base and improving its sales. All of which boosts a company's competitive edge. Not a bad deal!

(The writer is a company director involved in human resource management and development)