On-the-Job Training Is the Best Training
On-the-job training isn’t quite the same thing as learning by experience.
Learning by experience is a simple concept that primarily occurs via mistakes.
Maybe you try something one way, find it doesn’t work, then modify it until it
does.
On-the-job training is a specific type of training that is explicit, prescribed, and
delivered at the workplace.
For example, if you have a new intake nurse in your triage unit who needs to
learn a specific computer program that your hospital uses, on-the-job training
could use microlearning videos to deliver targeted information for that skill
alone. Or, your sales team could use mobile resources to review product demos
as they’re waiting to enter a meeting.
The best on-the-job trainings are:
Relevant
Targeted
Timely
Helpful to employees
Packed with useful information
Learning by experience may eventually be all of these things, but on-the-job
training is a great way to help new employees learn procedures, programs,
company culture, and other important concepts quickly.
What are the on-the-job training advantages that make it
vital today?
The benefits of on the job training for employers and employees alike make it a
better option than paying for conferences, guest speakers, or dodgy paper
manuals that may just gather dust. No more sitting in windowless rooms for
entire weeks of training. No more learning what does not apply or is not
necessary.
On-the-job training delivered specifically through various microlearning
modules is vital today because the advantages can’t be beat. The major
advantages of on-the-job training include:
1. Easily applicable
2. It makes good (money) sense
3. Saves time
4. Gives you flexibility
5. It’s social-ready
Easily applicable
No more wasted time for employees paging their way through a dusty manual.
No more scattershot approaches to designing training courses. On-the-job
training is specific and focused on the needs of employees. If an employee
needs to access a specific training module, they can use just-in-time online
learning to locate courses they have already completed on their devices.
Employees will also appreciate the ability to get to important information
quickly without paging through PowerPoint slides or calling multiple people in
the company for help.
It makes good (money) sense
Employee training is one of the most expensive parts of onboarding. HR
Onboard found that the average cost of onboarding a new employee can reach
up to $40,000. In technology industries, that cost can soar even higher. But
here’s the catch: these price tags do not even mention the cost of training.
Training costs include training rooms, travel, catering, and materials. Even if
you cram your disgruntled employees into the conference room at the end of the
hall for a day of presenters, those presenters cost money, and you lose a day’s
worth of work from your employees.
Yes, it’s true that most (all?) employees wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to
attend an expensive training conference in an exotic local, but you can’t really
be sure of what they are getting (other than a good tan). For employees, once the
tan lines fade, they may be left with a gap in knowledge that could reflect poorly
in the work.
In the end, on-the-job training makes more sense for protecting the bottom line
through ongoing and always-accessible resources. It may make sense to create a
combined approach, but even then, you’re still cutting overall costs of in-person
training and travel.
Saves time
Time is a precious commodity for both employers and employees, and one of
the best advantages of on-the-job training is that it delivers information when
and where your employees need it most.
If your company is managing a large construction project that is under ever-
changing codes and zoning laws, you can wrap that area in a geofence. Once
employees pass into that area, a push notification lets them know if there are
any changes they need to be aware of. This keeps you in compliance with the
law, but it also shows employees that their time is valuable, too. No changes for
the day? Then there’s no training needed.
A geofence can be set for as little as 250 feet, so it’s good for hospital or
university complexes, too. This type of microlearning is an ultra-efficient and
effective way to integrate on-the-job training into an employee’s day, making
the best use of their time (and your resources).
Gives you flexibility
Your employees won’t need all of the information all of the time. They also
won’t need it in the same format.
With many different types of eLearning tools available, you can choose the ones
that make the best sense for you and your employees.
It’s social-ready
Co-workers may be the best source of on-the-job training support, a practice
that can help build good employee relationships.
If microlearning, geofencing, and other eLearning methods are experienced
together in a social learning environment, co-workers get an opportunity to
support each other through tricky concepts or challenging procedures.
So, what makes on-the-job training stand out?
If you are the person tasked with developing employee trainings, there is
a strong case for eLearning when it comes to on-the-job training. Skills are
learned where they will actually be applied, with tools that will actually be used.
Often, on-the-job training uses real-time experiences combined with
microlearning support to help employees go deeper.
This is not a drill; on-the-job learning prepares your employees for real-time
engagement wherever they need it.
At EdgePoint Learning, we can help you figure out exactly what you want to
accomplish with your on-the-job training, pairing those goals with training
activities, online microlearning libraries, and real-world training opportunities
across multiple platforms.
