Introduction of ojt free essay sample

On-Job Training (OJT) is normally included as part of the New Hire Training, post completion of Classroom / Buddy Training. In most businesses / accounts (back-office business) in Wipro BPO, an OJT program exists but not in a structured form. In most cases it does not factor in / include all the critical components to help make a new hire successful at the start of their Job. This document helps in identifying the key ingredients for an OJT program which will help shorten the learning curve cycle time for the new hires. This document also discusses and analyzes the different OJT methodologies and approaches to help in understanding the differences between an OJT and SOJT (Structured OJT) program. Note: The term SOJT (Structured OJT) has been taken from the â€Å"Whitepaper on Structured On-the-Job Training and Its Value to High Performance Manufacturing† by Richard Doss, RWD Technologies. Definition of Training The term training refers to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and competencies as a result of teaching vocational or practical skills and knowledge that relates to specific useful competencies. We will write a custom essay sample on Introduction of ojt or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page People within many professions and occupations may refer to this sort of training as professional development. Some use a similar term for workplace learning to improve performance – training and development. On-job training takes place in a normal working situation, using the actual tools, equipment, documents or materials that trainees will use when fully trained. On-the-job training has a general reputation as being most effective for vocational work. Definition of OJT OJT is defined as â€Å"employee training at the place of work while doing the actual job†. Usually a professional trainer (or sometimes an experienced employee) serves as the course instructor and employs the principles of learning (participation, repetition, relevance, transference and feedback) often supported by formal classroom training. In the BPO industry, On-Job Training is scheduled post completion of Classroom Training. During Classroom Training, the new hire understands and learns the theoretical concepts and procedures. During OJT the new hire is expected to â€Å"buddy-up† with the SME / L2 / Buddy / Floor Trainer / Training SPOC and performs transactions on live systems under supervision / in a controlled environment. Advantages: †¢ Low cost – Does not require the development of potentially expensive training materials or classroom/computer-based instruction. †¢ Task-based – Since OJT is performed at the work area, training tends to be focused on performing real job tasks. †¢ Well suited for small groups – OJT is often the most practical training method when you only need to train one or two employees at a time. Disadvantages: †¢ Inconsistent – Traditional OJT relies heavily on an experienced employee to provide instructions based on what they consider most important topics. What is important to one employee may not be important to another. The result is what is learned may vary greatly, depending on who is assigned as the trainer. †¢ Incomplete – Without a structured lesson guide, OJT trainers often forget to cover important information. What is learned is likely to be based on what happened that day rather than on what a new employee needs to know to be safe and productive. †¢ Lack of founding principles – While the hands-on aspect of OJT may appeal to the practical learner, often the underlying theories of operation are not covered in sufficient detail or accuracy. Without this foundation of knowledge, trainees often learn what to do, not why they are doing it, resulting in poor decision making when things don’t go exactly right. †¢ Bad habits – The trainee observes and may adopt the trainer’s habits and attitudes about all aspects of the job including safety, quality, customer service and relationship with management. Poorly selected trainers can have many unintended consequences. †¢ Unstructured – Since the OJT program does not have a structure, it has high dependency on the trainers availability for sessions; in the event of high business volumes, the trainee is toggled as the trainer does not get time to conduct the sessions due to operational aspects which leads to low trainee morale and eventual extension of OJT program. Most the OJT models / approaches observed while studying different processes in the back-office business at WBPO focuses around a combination of Training and Hands-on experience clubbed together as a part of OJT. However most of the critical questions are not clearly answered by the OJT programs rolled out in the current scenario. Questions such as: †¢ Is the current OJT program the best approach which helps a new hire understand the process? †¢ Are new hires taking longer time to come up the learning curve? †¢ Do the new hires learn by repeating the same mistakes / errors? †¢ Varied knowledge / performance levels of New Hires post completion of TrainingOn-Job-Training in the Back-Office Business Most of these questions are unanswered in OJT programs which are currently being rolled out in the back-office business because of the following key reasons: †¢ OJT programs lack standardization †¢ OJT programs do not integrate all the critical components for the new hire to be successful in their role. †¢ Robust control mechanisms do not exist in the OJT programs †¢ Floor trainer bandwidth issues †¢ Most of the OJT models indicate a very open OJT structure which is not clearly defined. †¢ Learning path for the new hire has high level of people dependency because of lack of standardization. †¢ A robust and comprehensive OJT program would address these operational / business issues. Proposed Solution Before we discuss the proposed solution, it’s important to understand the approach / methodology one should adopt while designing any training program. Let’s look at some of key elements which should be kept in mind before getting into the design phase of any training program. The best method of training delivery can only be determined by conducting a thorough need analysis. Sound instructional design requires us to analyze the following aspects: †¢ The training audience †¢ The learning objectives †¢ The skill level of the audience †¢ The difficulty of the subject matter †¢ Competency-based approach to training Competence can be defined as â€Å"the application of skills, knowledge and attitudes to tasks or combination of tasks to standards under operational conditions†. The challenge of building a new employee training program or improving an existing program can be a daunting task for any training function or professional. Often plans are made without full understanding of the organization’s overall business goals and objectives. The end result is a â€Å"one-sizefits-all† training curriculum or program that is too limited in scope to impact business results. It is strongly recommended to stakeholders that they view the employee training and development programs from a strategic perspective, utilizing a competency-based training approach that focuses first on understanding the goals or business objectives of the organization and the account. Once the overall objectives are understood, one should then work to identify the skills and behaviors employees will need to achieve those goals. With competency-based training, expectations about levels of performance and individual achievements are clearly communicated. Competencies serve as a framework to indicate behaviors and skills that are seen as most valuable to the organization. Employees are provided a clearly defined roadmap to guide them in the development process. Because core competencies and skills necessary for optimal performance and organizational contribution are plainly identified, competencies serve as framework for multiple areas of the talent management process in addition to training and development – such as performance review and career counseling. Competency-based training is a systematic platform for learning and organizational development. Let’s look at some of the key actionable while we design a competency based training model for the Business.