What's the purpose of training?
2022.05.20
Training for a purpose! Typical examples of major training programs
Training is provided at various times, such as when new employees join a company or when they are promoted.
Training is indispensable for developing excellent human resources, but it is important to choose the right training program that matches the environment of your company and the issues you want to solve.
This article explains the different types of employee training, their respective merits and demerits, and points to note.
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Employee training is classified into three categories according to purpose
Specific training methods OJT and Off-JT
Benefits of e-learning training, which is on the rise
Three points that lead to successful training
Conclusion
Employee training is divided into three categories according to purpose
There are many different types of employee training programs, which can be categorized into three main types depending on their purpose. Before conducting employee training, it is important to understand exactly which type of training is being used.
The following are the types of training and specific examples of each.
1) Hierarchy-based training
Training by job level is training that is conducted for each employee's job level. The objective is to acquire the skills and attitudes essential for each level.
Examples: New employee training, management training, managerial training
2) Job-specific training
Job-specific training is training for specialized knowledge that meets the needs of each job category, and is generally conducted for each department. For example, salespeople learn sales skills, call center staff learn telephone skills, and general affairs and accounting staff deepen their knowledge of PC skills, bookkeeping, etc., to improve their practical skills.
Examples: Sales training, human resources training, marketing training
Theme-specific training
Theme-specific training is a training program that picks up the ideas and skills that the trainees are expected to acquire and concentrates on them. Training themes are selected based on the company's business development and the challenges it faces. The objective of this training is to have participants learn what you want them to learn, regardless of their job level or position.
Examples: Communication training, risk management training, business manner training
Specific training methods OJT and Off-JT
There are two major training methods. It is essential for efficient training to understand the differences between them and use them according to the purpose.
Let's review the differences and advantages and disadvantages of each.
OJT (On the Job Training)
OJT is an educational method in which trainees acquire a variety of business knowledge through practical experience in the workplace under the supervision of an instructor. On-the-job training is conducted in the course of regular work duties, with experienced supervisors and senior employees in the department serving as instructors. This is a way to acquire working-level knowledge and skills that are not found in manuals.
The objective is to have trainees output the knowledge they have actually learned through their work, and to have them become human resources capable of making an immediate contribution to the company.
One of the features of on-the-job training is the close proximity between the employee receiving the training and the instructor, which allows the employee to ask questions and build relationships within the department.
However, there may be times when there is not enough time to provide guidance while performing normal work duties. If the department is in its busy season or suffering from a shortage of staff, it may be difficult to provide solid guidance.
Off-JT (Off the Job Training)
Off-JT, also known as "off-the-job training," is a method of temporarily leaving the workplace to acquire knowledge and skills through programs created by in-house training staff or outside training organizations. The objective is to build a solid foundation by acquiring universal knowledge of business fundamentals and company theory.
Off-JT allows training to be conducted for a large number of people at the same time, preventing knowledge variation among employees. Another feature of Off-JT is that it allows employees to learn a comprehensive range of knowledge, compared to OJT, which tends to be biased toward teaching knowledge related to the job at hand.
One of the concerns with Off-JT is the cost of outsourcing to outside instructors or renting a venue outside the company.
Increasingly, e-Learning-based Training: What are the Advantages?
Both OJT and Off-JT have advantages and disadvantages, and it is difficult to decide which is better. It is important to fully understand the characteristics of each and use them in different ways.
In recent years, e-learning training has also been attracting a great deal of attention. e-learning training is a type of off-JT because it is not conducted on the job, but rather involves a strong element of classroom learning.
E-learning training has spread as a part of remote work in the Corona disaster, and more and more companies are now adopting it due to its various advantages.
The first is the ability to learn at one's own pace and the high knowledge retention rate due to repetition. The second is that the use of a learning management system (LMS) significantly reduces the burden on the company.
In the future, it will be important to combine on-the-job training and off-the-job training, face-to-face and online training, depending on the purpose of the training.
Three key points that lead to successful training
There are three key points to keep in mind for efficient training.
(1) Clarify the objectives
The most important thing is to clarify the purpose of the training. Without a clear understanding of the purpose of training, it is impossible to determine effective methods and content.
We recommend that the objectives be specific rather than abstract. For example, instead of "to improve sales skills," the training should be in the form of "to develop customer follow-up skills to improve sales performance.
The more specific the training is, the easier it will be to visualize what the training will look like afterwards, and the clearer the effects will be, the more motivated the employees will be to take the course.
2) Match the level of the target audience
The content of instruction will vary depending on the abilities and skills of the employees participating in the training. The same training program for new graduates and mid-career hires will have different content.
What are the deficiencies of the employees to be trained? The content of the training should compensate for those deficiencies. Also, consider whether the content of the training can be taught by in-house personnel. If it is difficult for your in-house staff to handle, consider hiring an outside instructor.
3) Follow-up after the training is also important.
Training is not the end of the process, but a thorough follow-up is necessary.
Training only once will not stick, and employees will not be able to put the knowledge to practical use. Also, employees who have received training may have questions or concerns. If there is follow-up after the training, questions will be clarified and concerns will be resolved.
SUMMARY
There are many ways to conduct "training" in a single word. In order to develop excellent human resources, it is important to conduct training with a clear vision of "what kind of human resources the company is looking for.
If you are reviewing your training system and considering e-learning training as an option, we recommend our learningBOX. It is intuitive to use and allows you to create original e-learning materials without any specialized knowledge.
Many companies use LearningBOX for employee training, and we also offer a free plan that allows you to use up to 10 accounts for free, so please feel free to try it out.