Importance of OJT Training

The aim of practical training is to help students develop skills and abilities that support
professional studies and prepare them for work later on. For the student the practical
training provides an opportunity to learn important skills which will help in becoming a
professional of the future.
Confucius once said: “If all I do is hear, I will forget. If I hear and see, I will
remember. If I hear, see and do, I will understand.”
On-the-Job-Training or OJT is job training that occurs in the work place. It has many
advantages, but it can also have a few disadvantages if the OJT is not planned and
executed properly. It is part of a college curriculum that aims to train and orient students
about the work and their future career. It is very important not only to teach students
their chosen career but to show students the reality about working.
Most students nowadays are not serious in their training. They don’t plan ahead and
pick the best company that they can choose. Worst, they ended up cleaning the desk of
their superior or doing unrelated tasks.
Here is why students should not take OJT for granted:
1. If you will get a high evaluation grade, your employer might hire you when you
graduate.
2. Your background OJT is very important when applying for a job. Oftentimes,
employers will ask you the relevance of your training to your course and to the position
you are applying for.
3. Some companies will give you a monthly allowance if you are doing well in your
tasks.
4. OJT will be your training ground. If you still have no idea on what is meant to be a
worker, OJT will give a hint of career realities.
5. Your OJT superior my recommend your skills to other companies whom he knows.
6. It will give you a sense of confidence that you can use when applying for a job after
graduation
7. Help individuals make informed career choices
Students should realize the importance of OJT on their future career. Having a good
performance during OJT is very important especially now that there’s a tight competition
towards job seekers and the high qualification of companies.

The overarching goal of higher education at large is to adequately prepare students to

achieve success in their future careers. While facing a certain level of academic rigor
and gaining important life skills can be considered crucial aspects of career
preparedness that students receive while in college, more and more importance is being
placed on the value of experiential learning.
Students have the opportunity to develop and apply the skills, theories and concepts
learned in the classroom.
Advantages or Benefits of OJT:
It is a practical way of explaining the new trainees of the project on how the project and
its technology works, giving them a hands-on experience. It is said that practical
knowledge is more effective than the theoretical one as it gives you the feel of the
process and system hands-on.
You can experience the real-time projects giving you the better idea on how it works
and what is expected of you. Let us look at some of the advantages that, on the job
training method has.
1. The simple method of learning:
Are you confused once you join a project after classroom training? Have they assigned
you a different task or expectations to what you were trained to do? It is easier to learn
when you can see how a project is being executed.
It is the most practical way to learn and even faster to understand the methodology
adopted by the team and how they function. It ensures that you know in and out of the
project by being the shadow of an experienced person for a while.
2. An economical way of learning:
Is your company spending a lot of classroom training? Is the classroom training helping
you achieve your goals with the new trainees joining your project? If your answer is no
then your solution is the on the job training.
There is no training needs attached to the on the job training. You don’t need lecturers
from outside or a classroom to train your new trainers or staff. All you need to do is
assign them a project and a colleague who can show them what they need to do and
how.
3. Get the feel right:
You get to train in the actual set up of your work, giving you the feel of the working style
right from day one. There are no surprises or changes from what you are trained to
what you have to actually do. It is all the same and consistent giving you the confidence
of performing the job well.
You don’t have to get nervous on the fact that you are assigned for a task that you were
not trained to do or your environment is completely different from what was explained to
you. Whatever you see while training is what you get.
4. Immediate productivity:
Every company wants to get their new trainers onboard as soon as possible rather than
waste their resources on the bench. Be it on project or not they will have to pay them
the salary. You are going to work within the team as a team member ensuring that
some of the responsibilities will be assigned to you from day one. This will give
assurance to the company that their resources are being used right from the day that
they are appointed and hence making sure that immediate productivity is achieved and
then there is no bench time.
5. Quick learning:
You get trained in a classroom using a mock-up workstation and when you arrive at the
actual workplace you find that it is nothing like you have been trained to do! You are
surprised and confused and hence, your productivity takes a hit as you would have to
understand the whole process again. Whereas on the job training, helps you learn
quickly by being the part of the execution and hence no extra time is wasted in
understanding how the system works.
6. It is systematic:
A systematic way of learning is far more effective than a random way of learning. You
have a stepwise training program when it comes to on the job training as your superior
will be performing the task and you will be his or her shadow. This way you would be
clear on the stepwise execution of your task giving you the chance to learn
systematically and helping you understand whether there can be any improvement in
getting the work done faster and quicker.

Disadvantages of On the Job Training Methods:

Are you not happy with the way the trainer is explaining to you the process of your
work? Are you facing difficulties in understanding the process and getting confused on
what you have to do because of too much information being fed to you in a little time?
On the job methods also comes with cons and hence let us discuss on some of the
disadvantages that it comes with:
1. Teaching is a skill that everyone does not possess:
Teaching is a skill and there are trainers who are appointed to train for the same. You
can’t pick up anyone in your project and ask them to train the new trainee. Not everyone
can explain the job better as you need to have clear communication, patience to hear
the questions and skills to answer them. You need to have skilled trainers who can
ensure that the training given is effective and is not a waste of time.
2. It is a rushed process:
Every employer wants to have his or her new trainee on the job as soon as possible so
that you can ensure the resources is utilized to the fullest. There is a higher probability
of rushing through the process of training, creating a lot of doubts and confusion right
from the day one.
Rushing into the training process to complete it as soon as possible can lead to new
mistakes and less efficient trainee. Every process has its own time and hence you
should not rush into completing the training as soon as possible as it can lead to a bad
outcome.
3. Low productivity:
You are asking the trainees to join the project and learn the process while doing a
project. This can cost you a lot of time to execute a task as it would be explaining each
and every step of the task before hitting the green button.
You might end up wasting your time as well as the time of the trainee at the cost of your
project. This will take a hit on the productivity of your on-going project which can lead
you too late delivery costing you a bad review on the job satisfaction.
4. Creates Disturbance:
With new trainees crawling into the actual workplace can lead to a lot of disturbances
within the team. The discussions between the supervisors and trainees can lead to
unnecessary disturbances for the co-workers hitting on their concentration at work. You
might end up poking them at the wrong time for giving information to the new trainees
causing them their valuable time.
5. Accidents can happen:
This happens very likely in a manufacturing industry where you are dealing with
machinery. If the trainers are involved in the production process directly and have no
experience then the probability of having an accident is very high.
You need to have the right knowledge of the machinery to avoid workplace accidents
and the material used before you jump into the production environment.
On the job training helps the company to save costs on training by saving on time,
space and trainers but it also comes with a price. There are pros and cons to the
process and you need to analyse what fits your organization or project best.
On the job training example:
A non-critical project can have an on the job training as it will not cost you on the
performance and productivity of the team members whereas a project that is in a critical
state, if disturbed, can lead to a lot of further issues. Hence you need to evaluate your
needs and design your training methods accordingly.