How to Perform On-the-job Training - Dean Amory

Coach’s Responsibilities include:
- Assessing trainee knowledge and skills
- Organizing and planning training
- Develop relationship with the trainee
- Teaching knowledge and skills
- Evaluating progress
- Suggesting changes needed to the program
Each coach must interact with a team which includes trainees and managers/supervisors for a
successful OJT program to function.
Discuss the responsibilities of the supervisor, and trainee listed in unit2.
8.11 Unit 3: Coaching Adults
Adults learn differently from children.
Research has taught us some characteristics of adult learning.
o Adults respond best to learning that is active and experienced-based.
o They like learning they can relate to on the basis of their own experiences.
o Unlike children, adults are experts in their own right in specific areas.
o This expertise needs to be recognized and may be used to meet the learning goal.
o Adults are real-life centred and desire practical problems, example, and descriptions from real
life.
- Adult learners are task-centred and
problem-centred.
- They are quick to focus on a
problem and so are solution-driven.
- Adults have personal training goals.
They may be skill-seeking and in training to
acquire a new job skill.
- Sometimes an adult will be
motivated by the pleasure and satisfaction of
learning something new or by camaraderie
of interaction.
- Other times an adult will be
motivated by the resultant increase in pay or
certification at the end of the class.
Knowing a trainee’s motivation will help in coaching that individual.
Adults are independent, self-directed learners.
Methods should be used to guide the trainee to learn in a way and at a pace comfortable for him or
her.
Examples:
Self-directed: allow trainees to say when they are ready for an assessment of their skills
Experience-based: use examples from a trainee’s off-the-job interests like sports
Practical: ask the trainees questions about applying new information to a specific task
Problem-centred: explain at what point during a work process a new skill would be used
Goal-oriented: ask the trainee his/her career goals and discuss how this training fits
The coach should motivate or arouse the trainee's interest in the training session. An adult likes to
see a direct link between his/her job and the skills and knowledge presented during the training. To
help to establish this link, the trainee needs answers to the following questions:
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