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On-the-Job Training
Introduction
On-the-job training (OJT) is designed to prepare trainees for job performance through one-on-one training and performance testing conducted by a qualified OJT instructor in the work environment. It provides hands-on experience and has the advantage of training only for tasks that are of immediate need to the trainee.
Shifting from a traditional instructor-led training program to a structured OJT program is often less stressful and easier to manage than you can imagine. Although OJT is not a cure-all for replacing instructor-led or Web-based learning, it is an effective and efficient tool for training new employees or employees switching to a new set of tasks.
Consider a situation in which an instructor-led course is designed for a group of individuals to be trained away from their jobs in a controlled classroom setting and then to return to work after training. Can the managers and supervisors of these individuals be assured that training has occurred and that the principles they learned in the classroom can be applied directly to their jobs? In most cases, managers and supervisors have little knowledge about what occurred in the training their employees received. By contrast, when training is focused on identifiable skills, knowledge, and abilities (SKAs), these same managers and supervisors can be assured that the critical skills needed to perform the job have been achieved. That is what OJT does for you.
Model For Implementing An On-The-Job-Training Program
So, what is OJT? How can an effective OJT program be designed and implemented for a laser-related training program? You can conduct OJT by the follow Joe method and hope that laser task–related skills and knowledge are transferred as you would expect. Follow Joe is an expression summarizing the training approach many have used for years: “Here’s your tool box. Go follow Joe.” Traditionally, this approach will work if Joe knows what he (or she) is doing and has the time and ability to do the training properly. In reality, the result is that the worker following Joe becomes a clone of Joe, complete with all of Joe’s skills, attitudes, imperfections, and misconceptions. Furthermore, if Joe is practicing unsafe laser work practices, the new worker is just as likely as Joe to be involved in a potentially serious accident or incident.
On the other hand, a formal, structured OJT process is one that is also conducted at the job site, usually on a one-on-one basis, while either performing or simulating the job or task to be learned. Unlike the follow Joe approach, the OJT process provides specific requirements and guidance to both the OJT instructor and the trainee/worker for meeting identified job-related needs. OJT explicitly defines the knowledge and skills required of a new employee, with predictable results.
Formal On-the-Job-Training Has the Following Features
Training occurs in the workplace.
It makes use of specifically defined learning objectives.
Training requires the active involvement of the trainer and the trainee.
It uses printed materials and job guides.
It uses a formal, structured approach.
Factors That Determine A Successful On-The-Job-Training Program
The ultimate success of any training program requires a strong commitment to training by both line management and training management. The agreement of these groups regarding goals and content of an OJT program is essential for an effective training program. Also, aligning the training goals and developing an effective OJT strategy should be linked to the company’s business strategy. These training goals should be clear and specific, stating the desired result of the training. You should also choose the key people who will be conducting the OJT as well as determine who the target audience (trainees) will be. Finally, you should determine ahead of time where the training will take place; for example, where the equipment to be used in the training is located and whether this equipment will be made available for training when it is needed.
The success of any OJT rests on these factors: the ability to correctly identify the key job factors, the identification of the expectations of training performance, the ability of the OJT instructor or subject matter expert (SME) doing the training, the organization of the training materials, the consistency of the training regardless of who is conducting the training, and the relevance of the information. The steps discussed next outline these factors.
Step 1: Collect Task Information
An effective method proven to be an accurate and quick way of getting started is to conduct a job and task assessment as a tabletop analysis with an assembled group of key people. Simply stated, the tabletop analysis consists of assembling the group supervisor and several workers who are currently performing the job as content experts, also called SMEs. The tabletop analysis strives for multiple positive results:
The collective knowledge of the group is obtained.
The group buys into the resulting task list.
A completed list is obtained of all tasks directly related to knowledge and skills that workers must achieve to perform the work.
Supplemental processes, materials, or procedures are identified for each task.
A useful and effective method for obtaining the job and task analysis is to provide the group with large, colored sticky notes. Once the group understands its mission and purpose, all members should be asked to write one task on each sticky note and then to write as many job-related tasks as they can possibly think of to perform a specific job. When all in the group have exhausted all of their ideas, they post their notes on a whiteboard (or wall) and sort the tasks according to the sequence in which the job is to be performed. Duplicated tasks are combined or rewritten to make a clearer task statement.
Once this exercise is accomplished, the group should identify any procedure, manual, or related supporting material that will support each task. In particular, the group should also identify potential laser safety concerns and how to effectively mitigate them. The group has now achieved the described positive results of the tabletop analysis. They have the collective knowledge of the group, a complete list of job-related tasks and skills, a list of safety-related issues and mitigations, a list of supplemental procedures or manuals.
Step 2: Obtain Final Group Consensus
The information the tabletop analysis group generated from the first step should be collected and entered into one of several computer graphic modeling tools, such as Microsoft Visio, where it can be viewed later by the group for accuracy. This serves two purposes: First, it puts the data into a neatly designed graphical image, and second, the data can be reviewed by the group to make any changes that were not apparent or that did not appear in the first step before beginning the next major step of developing the expected performance objectives for each task.
Step 3: Write Objectives
This third step is critical because it requires fitting each task with a stated performance objective. Objectives are those SKAs that the trainee will be able to demonstrate at the conclusion of training. Constructing objectives is not too difficult because you already have the task statements as your primary parts of the objective. All effective learning objectives have certain characteristics that must be taken into consideration when they are constructed. First, the objective must be attainable. Is the objective possible to achieve by the average learner? Second, the objective must be specific. Is the wording concise? Has unnecessary and confusing verbiage been removed? Third, the objective must be clear. Will everyone interpret the objective in the same way? Fourth, the objective must be measurable. Can this objective be measured? How will it be measured? Effective learning objectives can be stated in a variety of formats. The most common format combines the following parts:
A statement of behavior (action) the trainee must exhibit
The conditions under which the action will take place
The standards of satisfactory performance
An effective method to begin defining objectives is to select one of the tasks obtained in Step 1. You can do this by using the primary parts of the task statement. Let us assume that in our processing for developing tasks, one of the tasks identified is to remove an optic in preparation for cleaning. The following statement illustrates this format: “Correctly remove an optic for cleaning using the manufacturer’s step-by-step procedures.” A primary rule in writing objectives is to be sure that each objective links directly to the job task list. If you come up with unrelated objectives, you most likely did not do an effective job in Step 1 tabletop analysis and task development.
Step 4: Develop a Training Package
For repeated use, you can develop a training package that can be used as a template in which all of the data collected in the previous three steps are organized so that the template can be used by any company-authorized SME OJT instructor at any time. The template has the added effect of ensuring that both the trainer and the trainee are using the same guide, ensuring that they are both on the same page and have the same understanding of the expectations of each during the training process. It has an added benefit of assuring management that the tasks are being effectively taught.
The OJT package includes the following pages and headings:
Cover page: It includes the OJT title, date of issue, authorizing names, and names of supervisors or management approving the OJT.
Introduction: It introduces the purpose and scope of the training.
Job description: It provides a complete description of the job, duties, roles, responsibilities, and so on. This can be most useful because it states up front what the learner should be able to do once qualified. Some of this information can be obtained from the hiring manager’s job description, whereas the remaining description is a summary paragraph of the tasks identified in the tabletop analysis.
Instructional time: It indicates an approximate time in hours, weeks, or months it will take to complete OJT under ideal situations.
Prerequisite training: It gives a list of prerequisite courses or reading required of the trainee before beginning this OJT. Prerequisite training ensures that the trainee is prepared to begin the OJT.
List of skills as training objectives: It includes a numbered list of all the skill objectives in the OJT.
List of knowledge objectives: It includes a numbered list of the associated knowledge objectives to support the skill objectives. Listing the objectives up front in the training package ensures that only those tasks previously identified and agreed to by management are those required of an individual to be a qualified worker in a particular job.
Off-normal safety conditions: It identifies what the OJT instructor and the trainee are to do or actions to be taken if a non-normal or off-normal situation should occur while training is in progress.
Hazards and safety awareness: It identifies the hazards associated with the performance of any of the tasks of which the trainee should be aware to work safely.
Knowledge table: It outlines each knowledge skill as taken from the list of knowledge objectives. This includes a sign-off and date section.
Skills table: It outlines each skill taken from the list of skills. This includes a sign-off and date section for a time and date entry that the OJT instructor will use when it is determined that the skill has been completed satisfactorily. You could use a three-column format for this table. The first column would identify the first and subsequent tasks taken from the list of skills training objectives. The second column would be reserved for key points and questions the trainer and trainee should focus on to support that particular objective. The third column would be for the OJT instructor’s initials and sign-off date when the trainee satisfactorily has completed the task to the standards given.
OJT sign-off record page: It provides a separate page at the end for the OJT instructor to date and sign after all the tasks have been satisfactorily completed, indicating that the trainee is now fully qualified to begin work under normal supervision. For some critical positions, you may also elect to have a second person or management review signature.
Once the training package is prepared and ready for training, you may want to consider requiring your present workers to demonstrate that they can perform each task required of the job. This will assure management and others in the organization that the job can be performed equally well by anyone doing the job, not just the new people coming into the position.
Step 5: Select and Train the On-the-Job-Training Subject Matter Expert Trainers
Selected OJT trainers would best be formally appointed and documented by the immediate supervisor or manager. The credibility of the training program depends on the quality of the OJT instructors. If you think of training an instructor from your company training group, consider that the instructor may be an expert on training but will typically not be as knowledgeable or proficient about the specifics of the job as an incumbent SME on the job. In these situations, it is much better to train your SME to be an effective instructor than to train an instructor to be a job expert.
Therefore, consideration should be given to the OJT instructor’s current work ethic, skills and knowledge, and competence to perform his or her current job. The instructor must be responsible, use good judgment and safety awareness, and have personal standards of performance and commitment to maintaining high-quality standards.
The OJT instructors must be certified or qualified by your organization or by a certified outside agency. Instructors must be able to perform the tasks themselves, and they and their supervisors must have clear expectations of the roles and responsibilities of the OJT instruction. Although you may want to use OJT trainers certified by an outside training agency, it is better to develop an in-house OJT program designed with the specific requirements agreed to by your management.
Step 6: Conduct the On-the-Job-Training
Conduct the OJT when all the preliminary work has been accomplished: The tabletop analysis has generated the job tasks list, the knowledge and performance objectives have been written, the procedures and supporting documentation have been identified, and training materials in the form of an OJT guide or package have been developed and prepared.
Trainer Responsibilities
One of the key tasks the OJT instructor must perform when he or she meets with a new trainee is to review the entire training guide with the trainee. The instructor should emphasize the expectations of the training, including the skills the trainee will need to acquire to be fully qualified. The instructor will need to explain how the training will be conducted, how the trainee will be able to successfully achieve each task, and the grading system that will be used as the qualification standard.
This includes describing OJT as a two-part process of training and evaluation. In summary, trainees entering the OJT program need to learn how the training process operates and what will be expected of them throughout the training process.
Trainee Responsibilities
The trainee’s responsibilities are to be a willing participant in the process and to complete each task as outlined in the OJT guide. A trainee should ask questions for clarity when in doubt and keep a copy of the guide to keep track of personal progress; this may include having additional supporting self-study materials.
Beginning The Training Process
The first training session should be an orientation in the actual training setting. The trainee takes part as an observer as the OJT trainer goes over the procedures or supporting documentation while actually performing the job. The trainer is to explain what he or she is doing, why he or she is doing the tasks, and the safety precautions that must be considered to do the job safely. Be careful not to overwhelm the trainee with details on the first day.
How The On-The-Job-Training Instructor Conducts Training
Demonstrate how to perform a task. Using the OJT guide, the instructor should select a simple task and demonstrate how to perform the task correctly, explaining why the task is to be performed, its importance, and the impact to the operation of the part or system if not done correctly.
Allow the trainee to perform part of the task. In this phase of the instruction, the trainer and trainee are interacting together, with the trainer coaching as necessary.
Allow the trainee to perform the entire task. In this phase, the trainee is allowed to perform the entire task with coaching as necessary from the OJT trainer. Depending on the task complexity, this may occur several times before the task is mastered.
Evaluate the trainee’s performance of a task. Observe the worker performing the entire task without supervision. For each task, this is the final test. When the worker can perform the task without supervision, he or she is considered trained. Trainee guides should be constructed so that each series of tasks has the correct number of places to sign off on the individual tasks or subtasks.
Sign off the training package. To confirm their competency, the worker should be allowed to perform the task without active supervision. At this point, the trainee’s training for that particular task will have been completed, and the instructor can sign the final signature page.
Keep records. The final signature page should be filed in a secure place. This may be in the form of physical storage or a digital storage system. The training record should be maintained for as long as the organization deems necessary. For some organizations, the minimum time for maintaining training records is 5 years.
Tips On Feedback During Training
One of the most difficult jobs the OJT instructor faces is providing trainees with feedback about their progress. Giving the impression that the trainee is progressing well when he or she needs more coaching is unhelpful. On the other hand, being too direct or frank about a trainee’s progress can easily be mistaken for criticism, especially if there are no established criteria used to evaluate the trainee’s performance. Feedback provides trainees with an idea of how well they are performing the tasks. To develop adequate feedback:
Provide an immediate and complete answer to the task item after the trainee’s completion; all parts of the answer or answers should be provided. If alternative methods for completing the tasks are acceptable, each should be included.
Promptly give the trainee practical means to better understand a task in which he or she underperformed. For example, go over the task and the procedures to which the task relates and then have the trainee practice under your supervision.
Provide guidance for remediation. The purpose of feedback is to help trainees learn the material. Therefore, OJT should be designed so that the trainee is led to restudy the information he or she failed to recall, recognize, or perform.
The following criteria will help to measure a trainee’s progress. The objective is for the trainee to reach a level 4.0 (see Level Guideline section) before the trainer signs off the task. Ideally, the trainee should demonstrate performance (practice) to a 4.0 performance level three times without trainer intervention. In some critical laser safety or hazardous situations, a higher minimum number of unassisted performances may be necessary.
Level Guideline
1.0 The trainee demonstrated a lack of knowledge about the task or made major deviations or omissions that made accomplishment of the task impossible. The instructor was required to demonstrate proper accomplishment of the task.
1.5 The trainee demonstrated limited knowledge of the task. Although the trainee can begin the task, performance deteriorates quickly and extensive instructor interaction is required to maintain safe accomplishment.
2.0 The trainee has a basic understanding of the task, but errors or deviations are significant and would jeopardize safety or mission accomplishment. Even under ideal conditions, extensive instructor intervention is required for safety or mission accomplishment.
2.5 The trainee made errors or deviations. Limited assistance along with frequent coaching by the instructor was essential for safe accomplishment of the task. The trainee has sufficient systems knowledge to make a correct response when provided coaching by the instructor.
3.0 The trainee accomplished the task successfully, but there were slight errors or deviations that the trainee could not correct. The instructor was required to provide coaching for smooth performance but not for safe mission accomplishment. The trainee can perform under ideal conditions but would have difficulty under adverse conditions.
3.5 The trainee was able to accomplish the task safely and successfully with minor errors or deviations. The trainee was able to correct these minor errors, and no assistance was required from the instructor.
4.0 The trainee performed the task without errors or deviations. No instructor intervention was required. The trainee has progressed beyond mere proficiency and could probably perform well under adverse conditions.
Final Thought: OJT Success
The success of any OJT rests on the ability to correctly identify the key job factors, the identification of the expectations of training performance, the ability of the OJT instructor doing the training, the organization of the training materials, the consistency of the training regardless of who is conducting the training, and the relevance of the information to the trainee and the organization.
Finally, the OJT program quality should be continually monitored. The longer a training program is in place, the easier it is for it to slip from its intended purpose. Any OJT program should be thoroughly reassessed and reevaluated not less than every 3 years. Therefore, establishing and maintaining a system for collecting new job data and trainee end-of-course evaluations are paramount to continuously improving an OJT program.