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

Should a trainee disagree, the options may be:
postponement of the monitoring.
seeking another trainer.
referring the trainee to a third party for advice.
Now try Activity 2D which covers some other issues around observing a trainee.
6.16 Monitoring Progress By Observation
Aim: To develop your understanding about some of the factors that need considering when
observing a trainee's progress.
Activity 2D
Consider the following issues related to good practice in monitoring a trainee's progress and write
your conclusions in the space provided below.
How would you ensure that:
- you monitor only the stated standards of performance?
- your presence as an observer does not disadvantage your trainee?
- your presence does not disturb the activities of others who are not taking part in the session?
Review of activity 2D
You have probably identified the following good practice points for the first question:
a checklist based on the standards of performance being monitored is used.
trainee's readiness for being monitored is checked.
For the second question, you might have included:
trainee is put at ease and briefed about the monitoring procedure.
remain as unobtrusive as possible throughout the observation.
you do not help or hinder the trainee in any way.
For the third question, you might have thought of:
consulting others who may be affected by the observation and securing their agreement.
How to monitor the trainee’s performance?
Apart from observing the trainee, how else can I monitor the trainee’s performance?
Analysing any errors that the trainee makes to see if the cause can be attributed to anything that
may have been misunderstood or not seen clearly and decide how the problem can best be put
right.
Intervening, when necessary, to help the trainee to complete the task effectively. There are a
number of occasions when intervention may become necessary. These include:
- cueing the trainee when something is about to happen (e.g. shortage of raw material).
- prompting or reminding the trainee to do something (e.g. using the correct knife).
- stopping the trainee when danger is imminent (e.g. un-guarded machinery).
- preventing the trainee doing something which would mean them starting all over again (e.g.
mixing the wrong ingredients).
The alternative to intervention is to allow the trainee to make an error from which a lesson could be
80