Structured On-the-Job-Training (OJT) Development
What is OJT?
When you ask that question, you will
receive many different answers. For some, “on-the-job-training” means a
total lack of a formal training program. The term often refers to a
trial-by-fire method of job training where people are forced to learn a
job on their own, receiving guidance only when they make a mistake. For
others, OJT is a training method where experienced employees take new
employees under their wing, instructing and coaching them on how to
perform their job, giving them the benefit of years of experience.
Traditional unstructured OJT
training methods have some advantages and disadvantages as described
below:
Advantages:
-
Low cost –
does not require the development of potentially expensive training
materials or classroom/computer-based instruction.
-
Task-based –
Since OJT is performed at the work area, training tends to be
focused on performing real job tasks.
-
Well suited for
small groups – OJT is often the most practical training method
when you only need to train one or two employees at a time.
Disadvantages:
-
Inconsistent
– Traditional OJT relies heavily on an experienced employee to
provide the instruction based on what they feel are the most
important topics. What is important to one employee may not be
important to another. The result is what is learned may vary
greatly, depending on who is assigned as the trainer.
-
Incomplete –
Without a structured lesson guide, OJT trainers often forget to
cover important information. What is learned is likely to be based
on what happened that day rather than on what a new employee needs
to know to be safe and productive.
-
Lack of founding
principles – While the hands-on aspect of OJT may appeal to the
practical learner, often the underlying theories of operation are
not covered in sufficient detail or accuracy. Without this
foundation of knowledge, trainees often learn what to do, not
why they are doing it, resulting in poor decision making when
things don’t go exactly right.
-
Bad habits –
The trainee observes and may adopt the trainer’s habits and
attitudes about all aspects of the job including safety, quality,
customer service, and relationship with management. Poorly selected
trainers can have many unintended consequences.
What is a Structured OJT Program?
To overcome disadvantages of
traditional OJT programs while maintaining the advantages, APS
recommends using a structured approach to OJT. A good Structured OJT
Program consists of four main components:
-
The Roadmap
-
The OJT Lesson
Guides
-
Job Performance
Measure (JPM)
-
Supporting
Documentation
The Roadmap
 An OJT roadmap is a detailed
flowchart that breaks down the training process into defined units or
modules that will need to be completed for a specific job or position.
Breaking the OJT process down into bite-sized pieces allows the training
to be accomplished over a period of time within a practical timeframe.
Each module on the roadmap
represents a lesson with defined objectives along with the delivery mode
and the estimated duration. The roadmap also shows a path of progression
or a logical order for completing the individual lessons. View a
typical OJT Training Roadmap.
The OJT Lesson Guides
For each module in the roadmap, a
lesson guide is provided. The OJT lesson guide outlines the objectives
to be completed and contains a step-by-step listing or checklist of the
activities to be performed during that lesson and the optimum order of
completion. Having a defined checklist ensures that all of the pertinent
topics are covered instead of relying on the memory of the OJT
instructor. And it allows the trainee to be an active participant in the
training by asking questions when everything is not getting covered.
Typical activities may include:
-
Trainer and trainee
review the supporting document(s)
-
Trainer explains the
theory of operation to the trainee
-
Trainer demonstrates
proper performance of a task
-
Trainee performs the
task with assistance from the trainer
-
Trainee performs the
task while the trainer observes and coaches
This process is ideal for tasks that
can be performed repeatedly. However, for infrequently performed or
emergency tasks that seldom occur, the process must be modified.
In addition, the lesson guide
provides a listing of supporting documentation for the lesson. These
supporting documents will serve a reference for the lesson, providing
information that supplements and amplifies the knowledge of the OJT
instructor.
Job Performance Measure
What about testing? This is
accomplished by the Job Performance Measure (JPM). The JPM is the
practical “test” portion of the OJT lesson and provides a checklist of
the tasks that must be performed and the standards to which they must be
performed.
During performance of the JPM, the
trainee performs the designated tasks under observation of but without
the assistance of the trainer. Upon successful completion of the JPM,
both trainer and trainee sign and initial for each task. The completed
JPM document may serve as an official record of training.
Supporting Documentation
As mentioned above, the lesson guide
lists supporting documentation required for the lesson. A key part of
the OJT development process involves identifying which documents should
be used to support the OJT lesson. Where possible, existing
documents should be used, and may consist of:
-
Existing work
instructions
-
Safety instructions
-
Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs)
-
Preventive
maintenance (PM) procedures
-
Checklists and job
aids
-
Piping and
Instrumentation Diagrams (P&IDs)
-
Federal, state, or
local regulations and manuals
-
Equipment technical
manuals
-
Training manuals
-
Vendor documents
-
Safety instructions
In some cases, new supporting
documents may need to be developed that will provide the baseline
information needed to conduct effective OJT.
What about the Trainers?
The roadmap, OJT lesson guides and
supporting documentation provide the structure, but the overall
effectiveness of an OJT program still relies on the OJT instructors to
provide the transfer of knowledge. To ensure maximum effectiveness of
your OJT program, trainers should be selected based on their knowledge
of the job and their willingness to share that knowledge with others.
The employer should also consider the employee’s attitude about key
company policies like safety, quality, and customer service. All persons
who are designated as trainers should receive instruction in the proper
use of the OJT documents. In addition APS recommends conducting training
for OJT instructors in the principles of adult learning.
How Can APS Help?
APS can assist your organization in all phases of
creation and execution of a structured OJT program. For some of our
clients, we provide complete OJT program development services including
job task analysis and development of the OJT roadmap, lesson guides
(including JPMs) and even the supporting documentation where required.
For other clients, we may perform only a specific portion of these
services, as much or little as required to meet our clients’ needs.
APS can help you develop on-the-job training documents
and we can train your employees to be effective on-the-job trainers. For more information,
email us at info@aps-online.net
or call Greg Pancerev at 610-987-4054
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