On-the-Job Training: Tips for Ensuring Success

The majority of workplace training is on-the-job training (OJT). In OJT, supervisors and coworkers serve as trainers, passing on their first-hand knowledge of job procedures to less experienced employees. Because most OJT programs are unplanned, they are often less effective than more systematically developed training programs. The purpose of this article is to provide training practitioners with a standardized set of guidelines for developing OJT programs. These guidelines are rooted in the literature on OJT in organizations and should have significant implications for the design of workplace training programs. Copyright 2005 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc. All rights reserved.