As per research, 68% of employees prefer to learn or train on the job.
You abandoned the traditional training setup and hopped on the on-the-job training bandwagon due to its rising popularity.
However, have you received the desired results despite infusing learning and development into the employees’ workday?
If your answer is no, did you take a step back and wonder why your OJT program was not successful?
Just-in-time learning is an effective way of training the workforce. However, how you present the on-the-job training also makes a big difference. If the OJT isn’t impactful and relevant to the employees, they will refrain from investing their valuable time into it during work hours.
Introduction of OJT Training
On-the-job training (OJT) is crucial for L&D professionals as it equips them with practical, hands-on experience, enhancing their ability to design relevant and impactful training programs. By directly engaging with the workplace environment, L&D professionals gain a better understanding of employee needs, enabling them to create tailored learning solutions. OJT also improves collaboration with other departments, helping to refine context-specific training methods. Additionally, it allows L&D professionals to quickly adapt to new tools, technologies, and processes, ensuring training remains effective in a rapidly changing environment.
Organizations have primarily directed AI training towards leaders: 44% of leaders report receiving training to enhance their skills and remain relevant, while only 14% of front-line employees have had similar opportunities. Furthermore, OJT fosters a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging employees to learn from real-world challenges. This hands-on approach not only enhances skill development but also boosts employee morale and retention. Ultimately, investing in OJT leads to a more competent workforce, driving overall organizational success.
Given the importance of on-the-job training, it is best not to waste your precious time on OJT approaches that are not working.
Five Examples of OJT Training
On-the-Job Training (OJT) provides employees with practical, hands-on learning experiences directly in their work environment.
Below are five key OJT examples of methods that enhance skill development and foster continuous improvement.
1) Mentorship Programs
Pairing a junior employee with an experienced mentor fosters personalized learning. Mentors provide guidance, share insights, and support skill development. This approach helps employees grow professionally through regular feedback and hands-on experience. Additionally, mentorship builds strong professional relationships and enhances employee engagement, leading to increased job satisfaction. Over time, this continuous learning fosters leadership development and long-term career growth.
2) Job Rotation Across Departments
Employees rotate through various departments to gain a broader understanding of the organization. This approach develops cross-functional skills and insights, allowing employees to see how different roles contribute to overall business success. It encourages adaptability and problem-solving as employees learn to navigate different team dynamics and processes. Additionally, job rotation enhances collaboration and communication across departments, fostering a more cohesive work environment.
3) Peer Coaching
Employees are paired with peers to share knowledge and expertise. This informal, collaborative learning method encourages skill development through real-time problem-solving and support, fostering a culture of continuous learning. It builds stronger interpersonal relationships, as peers learn from each other’s experiences and perspectives. Additionally, peer coaching boosts confidence and accountability, as employees take an active role in both teaching and learning.
4) Real-Time Project Involvement
Employees are involved in live projects under supervision, applying theoretical knowledge to real tasks. This hands-on experience allows them to develop job-specific skills while contributing directly to organizational goals. It also fosters critical thinking and decision-making abilities as employees tackle real-world challenges. Moreover, this approach boosts confidence and ownership by allowing employees to see the immediate impact of their contributions.
5) Feedback-Driven Continuous Improvement
Regular feedback sessions are integrated into the learning process to help employees identify strengths and areas for improvement. Continuous feedback ensures that learning is aligned with performance goals and encourages ongoing development. This proactive approach fosters a growth mindset, motivating employees to take charge of their own learning journey. Additionally, it enhances communication between employees and managers, leading to stronger relationships and a more supportive work environment.
Read on for a few examples of on-the-job training that can help you create effective learning programs that convert into workplace performance.
Skill-based learning – Beyond traditional training
Most on-the-job training is confined to providing generic knowledge or policy/product-based information. This is why they often fail to drive the intended impact.
It is imperative to give employees strong reasons for balancing learning with work. Employees would be more interested in learning programs that help them reach their full potential and meet their career goals.
For instance, Kyra, a sales executive, failed to fulfil her quarterly targets. Most of her deals are stuck in the sale pipeline’s follow-up stage. She is skilled at setting appointments and giving sales presentations. However, her deals often go cold after the presentation. So, learning programs on “how to make cold calls” or “ how to set a sales appointment” wouldn’t interest her as her problem area is different. Learning modules like a resource on templates to write follow-up emails after a presentation or podcast or how to follow-up and close the deal would capture her interest and help her develop capabilities to convert a prospective buyer into a paying customer. Exactly in a similar way, it is crucial to find out the exact skill gap for your employees and provide training on the skills that are missing.
Skill-based learning seamlessly blends into on-the-job training. Developing necessary skills can positively impact employee performance.
As per PWC’s research, 77% of employees are ready to learn new skills.
For making this approach successful, it is imperative to identify and benchmark the necessary skills for each role. Modern technology like a Learning Experience Platform(LXP) can help you identify the trending skills for different employee roles and track the proficiency level to measure the skill score. Based on the skill level, you can assign relevant courses to address the improvement areas and boost the efficiency of the employee.
Ascyhnonous learning – The flexibility to learn at your own pace
Asynchronous learning is a flexible learning method that doesn’t limit employees to any stipulated time frame for skilling.
Employees can learn and grow at their own pace. They aren’t overwhelmed with a large pool of information at one time. Employees can easily access the learning material designed by the L&D professionals at any hour of the day.
However, because it is asynchronous, it doesn’t need to happen in silos. Employees can collaborate with their peers through social learning and ensure timely knowledge sharing. They can post queries in the social group whenever they are stuck and get them resolved instantaneously.
For instance, Loyd, an L&D professional, chose a skilling platform that supported asynchronous learning and even created a group where he encouraged learners to post their queries. So while learning, whenever employees had any doubt, they could instantly put it on the social wall. Loyd could reply to the employees and address learners’ issues in an asynchronous set-up. Moreover, employees with the same job role and skills could share case studies or resources with others to give more context to a particular topic.
Blended learning – Merge asynchronous with synchronous set up
Blended learning combines the benefit of intent-based digital learning and instructor-led training. Employees can attend a learning session with their teams on common topics and then enrol in online courses at their preferred time to enhance their unique capabilities.
They can also learn the fundamentals of specific subjects before joining the classroom modules for in-depth discussion.
In a nutshell, blended learning smartly merges asynchronous and synchronous learning that helps cover everything from product-led training to skill-driven learning to drum up interest and learning adoption.
For instance, Loyd, the L&D professional, makes the most of the skilling platform with blended learning. He conducts in-person training for the tech team on how to clone slices in Go and later shares video tutorials and assessments to provide hands-on experience to the employees learning Golang.
Personalized learning – Create “just for me learning experiences”
Employees are more likely to engage in learning material that would add value to their daily tasks. In the modern world of “Netflix” and “Amazon”, where employees get personalized recommendations, they expect the same “Just for me” experiences in their learning journey as well. Hence it is crucial to create personalized learning pathways based on individual interests and skill gaps.
When learning programs are aligned with employees’ goals and career aspirations, they take ownership of their skill development and put in sincere efforts to improve their skills. Hence it is crucial to provide continuous learning opportunities to the employees. Here is a classic example – One of Hong Kong’s multinational finance and insurance companies established a continuous learning culture with AI-driven content recommendations and experienced 29% improved sales results through a structured sales enablement process.
Click here to read the full case study on how this Hong kong based firm personalized learning and improved productivity with an AI-powered LXP.
Analytics-based learning – Delving deep into insights
Curating and designing on-the-job training isn’t a walk in the park. It consumes a considerable amount of time and effort. So instead of just developing learning content, it is essential to pause and evaluate if the employees benefit from the learning content.
Ruth, an L&D manager, used to invest several hours into designing effective courses. However, she never used to evaluate the effectiveness of those training programs. Once, the CLO confronted her as despite allocating the desired budget, he couldn’t see an improvement in employees’ performance. Unfortunately, Ruth didn’t have any data that would validate the efforts she had been investing in designing the training programs. Based on the CLO’s feedback, Ruth started tracking the L&D programs . She started using an LXP that enabled her to create learning programs easily and amass learning metrics like course adoption, course completion, post-training KPI score, etc. This helped her in providing the ROI for the L&D budget. Moreover, she could also identify and address the improvement areas in real time to show positive results.
Assessments and learning analytics can help you gauge the effectiveness of your on-the-job training. Based on assessments, you can provide and take feedback from the employees to improve on-the-job training.
A complete skilling suite like Disprz not only enables you to create impactful on-the-job learning journeys but also helps you dig deeper into learning analytics. You can slice and dice learning data as per your company’s requirements and leverage it to level up your OJT programs.
Role of Technology in OJT Training for L&D Professionals
Technology significantly enhances OJT for L&D professionals, providing innovative solutions that make training more effective and accessible. Here are some key roles technology plays in OJT.
Digital Learning Platforms
LMS enables the creation and delivery of tailored training modules, ensuring content is relevant and easily accessible. With Learning Management Systems (LMS), organizations can design personalized learning experiences that cater to the unique needs of their workforce. This customization allows for targeted training that addresses specific skill gaps, job roles, and industry requirements, improving overall effectiveness.
Additionally, LMS platforms offer flexibility in content delivery, supporting various formats such as videos, quizzes, and interactive modules, which can be accessed anytime, anywhere. Employees can learn at their own pace, reinforcing knowledge retention and making learning a continuous process. The ability to track progress and measure outcomes through an LMS also ensures that learning objectives are met and training remains aligned with business goals.
Mobile Accessibility
Employees can access training materials on their devices, allowing for flexible learning that can be applied in real-time. This approach offers unparalleled flexibility, enabling employees to learn on the go, whether during commutes, travel, or downtime between tasks. Mobile learning also ensures that employees can access relevant information instantly when faced with challenges or questions at work, allowing for just-in-time learning.
Furthermore, mobile accessibility promotes inclusivity by catering to remote workers and global teams, ensuring everyone receives the same learning opportunities regardless of location or schedule. By enhancing engagement and adaptability, mobile learning boosts productivity and retention.
Remote Mentorship
Video conferencing tools facilitate connections between employees and mentors, enhancing support and guidance regardless of location. This allows organizations to offer mentorship opportunities to employees in various regions, promoting knowledge sharing across different geographies.
Remote mentorship breaks down barriers that would traditionally limit mentoring to in-person interactions, enabling more frequent check-ins and continuous learning. It also allows access to a broader pool of mentors, increasing the diversity of expertise available to employees. With features like screen sharing and real-time collaboration, video conferencing tools create an interactive learning environment, fostering strong mentor-mentee relationships even at a distance.
Data Collection and Analysis
Technology allows for tracking performance metrics and gathering feedback, enabling continuous improvement of OJT programs. With advanced analytics tools, organizations can monitor employee progress, assess the effectiveness of training, and identify skill gaps in real-time. Data such as completion rates, assessment scores, and engagement levels provide valuable insights into how well OJT programs are working.
This feedback loop enables L&D professionals to make data-driven decisions to refine training content, personalize learning experiences, and address specific areas of improvement. Additionally, regular data analysis ensures that OJT programs remain aligned with organizational goals, fostering a culture of continuous learning and adaptation.
Gamification
Integrating elements like badges and leaderboards increases engagement and motivation, making learning more enjoyable. By incorporating game-like elements into training programs, employees feel a sense of achievement and competition, driving them to actively participate and complete tasks. Badges, points, and leaderboards create a fun, competitive environment where learners can track their progress and compare their performance with peers.
This fosters healthy competition and enhances motivation, as employees strive to reach higher levels or earn rewards. Gamification also encourages repeated engagement with learning materials, making retention of information more likely, while turning mundane tasks into interactive, enjoyable experiences that boost overall learning effectiveness.
Conclusion
On-the-Job Training (OJT) is a vital strategy for enhancing employee skill development and fostering a culture of continuous improvement within organizations. By utilizing diverse methods such as mentorship programs, job rotation, peer coaching, and real-time project involvement, organizations can create rich learning environments that not only enhance individual competencies but also strengthen team collaboration. Integrating technology further amplifies the effectiveness of OJT, enabling tailored learning experiences that meet specific employee needs and ensuring that learning is accessible anytime and anywhere.
Investing in comprehensive training solutions is essential for organizations aiming to remain competitive in a rapidly changing landscape. This commitment to employee development boosts morale and job satisfaction while translating into improved business outcomes.
To explore how Disprz can help you implement impactful training programs that drive employee success, book a demo today and take the first step toward transforming your learning and development initiatives!
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