Placing your bets on internal training and development will always win over paid campaigns and advertisements. In today’s competitive market, a significant proportion of revenue is generated from well-trained and motivated employees.
The growth and development of an entity rely on the employees’ abilities to acquire skills and positive behaviors and retention of knowledge along with other elements.
There’s an infinite pool of potential experts around the world. The only thing hindering them from being discovered is a lack of proper training.
Appropriate training and opportunities will use their new skills and help reshape how we think about inspiring the future workforce.
On the job training goes by the principle of ‘learning by doing,’ implying that the workers learn the job while performing it within the work environment. This type of training environment is beneficial for both the employees as well as the employers.
What is on the job training?
Often called ‘near the job training’ or ‘hands-on training,’ it involves the creation of a simulated work environment, and the emphasis is put on both learning and production.
While practicing this method, employees get accustomed to the skills and knowledge that are required of them. They assist them in how to perform in an actual work environment and conditions that can arise.
The bright side here is that the organizations don’t have to spend any extra penny on classroom setups or a simulated environment for imparting training to the workers.
It’s considered a practical type of training where many employees are instructed and trained for the same job.
When on the job training is in action, a team member (trainee) works alongside a more experienced colleague (trainer), so they can harness new skills and expertise within the official space.
A traditional form of career development that people have been practicing for centuries. Observing someone more experienced and knowledgeable polish their own skills and knowledge. To this day, it’s a method used widely as the results are most effective and efficient and suit every type of workplace.
On-the-Job Training Methods
1) Job Rotations
Under the job rotation, employees are frequently juggled between different but associated jobs, with the idea of making them familiar with multiple job backgrounds.
This develops an out-of-the-box environment within the organization and keeps an energetic and unique air around the workforce. Instead of doing the same thing repeatedly, it helps create a rapport with different workers in the organization.
2) Mentoring
Mentoring is the process wherein a senior or more experienced person, i.e., the mentor, is assigned to act as a guide, advisor, counselor, etc., to the one that needs the training, i.e., the mentee.
A senior or a manager gives instructions to their immediate subordinate for them to carry out the needed function.
A one-on-one training method, where the senior guiding a person is viewed as a mentor to the subordinate and guides him in every needed situation.
3) Job Instruction
The trainer fabricates a structured training program in this process. The employee is provided with instructions on how to carry out the functions.
During the initial steps, an overview of the job alongside the expected outcomes is defined for the trainee. Throughout the process, the employees’ capabilities needed for the tasks are tested by the trainer.
Along the way, the employees perform the job as per their acquired skills, and if need be, they can ask for feedback and reviews as well.
4) Committee Assignments
In committee assignments, trainees are required to find solutions for the actual organizational problems. All the trainees have to work together as one to find and offer a solution to the said problem.
This method also generates a sense of team spirit within the employees which eventually takes the whole organization towards its goals.
5) Internship Training
Internships are a form of on the job training wherein students or freshers are trained professionally to start or enhance their skills and expertise. The theoretical knowledge gained in classrooms is executed practically here.
Both theoretical and practical aspects are provided to the trainees in an internship environment.
6) Job Shadowing
As the term suggests, job shadowing is to become a literal shadow of a person doing the work. The trainee scrutinizes their trainer with clear focus and understands the work to be done by watching them. This helps a fresher in seeing what they are supposed to do.
Even experienced employees can practice the shadowing method as they can learn new techniques, train their soft skills, and view everything work related from a different perspective.
7) Self-instructional training
While rehearsing the self-instructional method, the person learns and enhances their skill through their own guidance with the assistance of a diverse range of resources.
It’s a self-initiated system that trainees must take up independently. The edge that on hands training has over others is that a person learns and enhances their skills at their own pace, and no trainer is interfering.
8) Apprenticeship
In apprentice training, people requiring long-term learning are usually involved, from trainees in technical fields to trade and craft fields, who need quality training to become a professional.
The fields in apprentice training need respectable skills and knowledge. Thus, the long-term training process to polish every aspect.
Apprenticeship is a healthy fuse of on the job and classroom training and is carried out under professional supervision. The time frame can range anywhere from 1 to 4 years, as the learning process continues until the apprentices become experts in their fields.
Benefits of on the job training
On the job training is still scarce in many industries, but if practiced correctly, it can augment the productivity and effectiveness of any organization.
From cost-effective training to a motivated workforce, these practices favor the entire organization in many more aspects. Entities like Forbes also predicted that the future of workforce is through learning and development.
The prime benefits both employees and employers can reap from near job training are highlighted below to give a brief overview;
- Accelerated way of training with authentic experience
- Swift and smooth adaptation to a new job
- Trainees learn to perform their tasks from the initial stage
- Retention of quality employees
- Assists in building a robust team spirit
- Modest and economical way of learning and enhancing skills
- Instantaneous elevation in productivity levels
- Cost-effective and fruitful for the organizations
- Enhanced progression of knowledge, skills, and expertise.
- Flexible and dynamic learning, etc.
Summation
On the job training takes place in diverse forms – from methodical formats and formal learning curriculums to indistinct and impromptu bursts of training activity.
Discovering an appropriate training mix for organizations and their employees is pivotal. This boosts the employees’ productivity and morale and the overall company’s efficiency.
Entities like Zimyo provide their workforce with the best employee experience by implementing several practices. On the job training is one such activity in their pattern. They ensure a quality environment for their workforce through performance management software and other components.
Both the employers and the employees gain tangible benefits from on the job training. Organizations ensure that employees have practical skills and understanding to carry out their roles precisely and competently.
Besides that, it is also considered a time and cost-effective way of undertaking professional tasks. The training methods can be tailored to address any employee’s individual needs, making them feel motivated and valued.
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