Improving on-the-job training

There have been many studies about how effective different approaches to learning and development are. Along with being one of the most natural, one of the most effective is on-the-job training.

In Improving On-the-Job Training: How to Establish and Operate a Comprehensive OJT Program, authors Rothwell and Kazanas aim to provide readers with a simple approach for installing an on-the-job (OJT) training program that will improve real-time work performance throughout an entire organisation.

They begin by outlining key management issues that should be addressed when initiating a program, and describe a number of methods for training the trainers and learners. In order to get a training initiative across the line, professional trainers, HR managers, and line managers have to identify a need for planned on-the-job-training, and Rothwell and Kazanas offer insightful information for preparing and presenting a OJT program.

They illustrate methods for evaluating results around OJT and conclude with six lessons about planned OJT programs. While some of their references to the 1970s and 1980s are somewhat outdated, Improving On-the-Job Training provides a clear and easy to follow format for establishing or fixing a broken OJT system.