Structured On-The-Job Training (OJT) Programs
Unlike formal, structured on-the-job training programs
in other countries where supervisors and managers are ultimately held
responsible for the training an employee receives, the traditional approach to
training in the United States to be one of "following Joe around."
"Following Joe around" is the informal practice of assigning a new
employee to an experienced employee and assuming the new employee will learn the
skill and knowledge required to perform a job.
If you want to insure that training occurs the way it
should, you should implement a formal, structured on-the-job training program.
This training is the process of directing and controlling employee performance
of assigned tasks in the actual work setting. To have a successful on-the-job
training program, two primary components are needed. The first component
involves the type of documents that should be used in a formal on-the-job
training program. The second component involves the type of employee who uses
those documents to conduct on-the-job training.
On-the-Job Training Documents
Formal, structured on-the-job training is based on job
and task analysis data. It always includes the critical steps required to
perform a given task and it may include knowledge requirements as well.
On-the-job training documents are not procedures and they should not be used as
such. If your facility has procedures, they can often be used as on-the-job
training documents without going to the trouble and expense of creating new
ones. The key is that there must be some type of document in place to ensure the
safety of employees learning a task and to ensure that all employees are
learning the task consistently.
The On-The-Job Trainer
Not only do you need clear, well written on-the-job
training documents to conduct on-the-job training, you need to make sure that
the employees who conduct on-the-job training are qualified to do so and that
they have a good attitude about training others.
The On-The-Job Training Process
Once you have training documents and trained trainers in
place, you can implement each of the following specific phases of on-the-job
training:
