On-the-Job Training (OJT)
Today, amid layoffs and restructuring, many companies are rethinking, rather than discarding their efforts to build worker capabilities. “The notion that human capital management—and particularly employee learning—can create a competitive advantage and support corporate agendas has never been more compelling” (Ripsam, Landry, and Fusco 2009, 15). However, at most companies, cost constraints limit the amount of training available, so employees hone their skills on-the-job.
American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) defines structured on-the-job training (OJT) as “one-on-one training that occurs at or near the actual work setting and is delivered by a designated trainer who follows specific written guidelines; provides observable and measurable performance objectives and is developed and delivered in an orderly and systematic manner (Walter 2002, 3). On-the-job training is a common means of training or retraining workers. The practice may seem simple and straightforward; however, doing it effectively requires more thought and preparation than simply having someone follow experienced workers around and observe what they're doing.
A large percentage of OJT in the US is performed by either more experienced employees or by immediate supervisors (Wright and Belcourt 1996). In the eyes of many managers, OJT has few or no costs and can be implemented quickly and easily. Seasoned employees may know their jobs; however, they might be relatively unskilled as trainers. Various authors (Rothwell and Kazanas 1990, 2004; Ong and Ramachandran 2003) reveal the indirect costs associated with unplanned OJT. Placing untrained novices on-the-job is expensive in its own way because suboptimal performance incurs costs such as inefficient use of people’s time and company resources.
Jacobs (2003) joins Wright and Belcourt (1996) in attesting that in most companies, the majority of knowledge and skills that the employees are learning are acquired on the job. It’s quite scary to think that unstructured and informal type of training dominates in US companies.
American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) defines structured on-the-job training (OJT) as “one-on-one training that occurs at or near the actual work setting and is delivered by a designated trainer who follows specific written guidelines; provides observable and measurable performance objectives and is developed and delivered in an orderly and systematic manner (Walter 2002, 3). On-the-job training is a common means of training or retraining workers. The practice may seem simple and straightforward; however, doing it effectively requires more thought and preparation than simply having someone follow experienced workers around and observe what they're doing.
A large percentage of OJT in the US is performed by either more experienced employees or by immediate supervisors (Wright and Belcourt 1996). In the eyes of many managers, OJT has few or no costs and can be implemented quickly and easily. Seasoned employees may know their jobs; however, they might be relatively unskilled as trainers. Various authors (Rothwell and Kazanas 1990, 2004; Ong and Ramachandran 2003) reveal the indirect costs associated with unplanned OJT. Placing untrained novices on-the-job is expensive in its own way because suboptimal performance incurs costs such as inefficient use of people’s time and company resources.
Jacobs (2003) joins Wright and Belcourt (1996) in attesting that in most companies, the majority of knowledge and skills that the employees are learning are acquired on the job. It’s quite scary to think that unstructured and informal type of training dominates in US companies.
The Solution: Structured on-the-job training (SOJT)
Structured OJT helps create functional, desirable, and meaningful organizations. Research shows that commitment, motivation, contribution, and satisfaction expressed via employee productivity and profitability can be directly linked to employee development and training programs (Patterson et al., 1997).
Collins, Brown, and Newman (1987) point to the proven role of apprenticeships as an instructional vehicle, transmitting the knowledge required for expert practice in various fields through guided experience of intellectual (i.e., “complex”) tasks. As a skilled person can overlook some of the steps in a complex task—because some of those tasks have become routine—a guide based on cognitive apprenticeship principles should help the instructor to convey the knowledge. In addition to enhancing the quality of instruction by systematically addressing knowledge transfer and fostering communication between a senior consultant and the new employee, the cognitive apprenticeship framework enables new employees to accelerate their learning by providing them with resources and tools to aid in the exploration and structuring of their own learning experience. Based on the preceding research in adult learning and cognitive apprenticeship, literature review confirm that developing guiding principles based on adult learning theories within a cognitive apprenticeship framework can positively impact systematic and integrated OJT program creation.
The following pages will address the thought that creation of a teaching guide centered around a cognitive apprenticeship concept with a foundation of adult learning principles will improve OJT by concentrating on the quality of the instruction, systematically addressing knowledge transfer, improving teacher-student inter-communication, and facilitating new employee engagement in the learning process.
Collins, Brown, and Newman (1987) point to the proven role of apprenticeships as an instructional vehicle, transmitting the knowledge required for expert practice in various fields through guided experience of intellectual (i.e., “complex”) tasks. As a skilled person can overlook some of the steps in a complex task—because some of those tasks have become routine—a guide based on cognitive apprenticeship principles should help the instructor to convey the knowledge. In addition to enhancing the quality of instruction by systematically addressing knowledge transfer and fostering communication between a senior consultant and the new employee, the cognitive apprenticeship framework enables new employees to accelerate their learning by providing them with resources and tools to aid in the exploration and structuring of their own learning experience. Based on the preceding research in adult learning and cognitive apprenticeship, literature review confirm that developing guiding principles based on adult learning theories within a cognitive apprenticeship framework can positively impact systematic and integrated OJT program creation.
The following pages will address the thought that creation of a teaching guide centered around a cognitive apprenticeship concept with a foundation of adult learning principles will improve OJT by concentrating on the quality of the instruction, systematically addressing knowledge transfer, improving teacher-student inter-communication, and facilitating new employee engagement in the learning process.
Prepared by ingambra | http://infinitelearner.weebly.com/ | 2012