Recognized by Professional Future Act of 5 September 2018 as an individual right, AFEST (training action in a work situation), allows each employee to benefit from training in the professional skills necessary for the exercise of their functions, or for a profession. La vocational training having always been a key issue in employability and the evolution of performance in a company, the system of training in a workplace situation is proving to be a major lever promoting the development of skills.
What is on-the-job training?
Workplace training is a continuous educational process, with the aim ofintegrate practical learning directly into the workplace in an intentional, planned, and monitored manner. Alternating times of professional simulation and moments of setbacks concerning practices, this process must lead to the Increase in skills employees, who will be able to respond to the challenges of the company in their entirety.
This model of on-the-job training is known to be one of the oldest ways of learning, but also one of the most evolving. It can in fact combine different training methods, and this through different media (digital and/or face-to-face). These multimodal courses with formalized apprenticeship approaches have in particular contributed to the rising image of on-the-job training during the health crisis.
In what cases should it be used?
Workplace training can be a response to several situations in business, such as:
- During a recruitment, in order to soften the start of work and the integration of functions
- During a Process of internal mobility
- During a change of function of a job that can call for new skills. The training will then guarantee the employability of the employee through the upgrading of the skills required.
Who is concerned?
The on-the-job training model can be implemented in all businesses, all sectors combined. All employees, regardless of their employment contract, can benefit from on-the-job training, at the initiative of their manager or the organization's HR professionals.
The following are mobilized for this type of training:
- The employees
- Managers and the HR department
- The referent: Training action in a work situation
- The internal or external trainer (agency) chosen by the company
Process of the on-the-job training system
How is it implemented?
In order to properly set up this training system in a work situation, three preliminary phases must be followed to ensure the smooth running of the entire process:
- Carry out an initial positioning and a work diagnosis concerning the employee to be trained
Trainers must focus on the reality in the field as experienced by the teams in order to assess the need for training in the teams' work situation, as well as their expectations.
- Choose an internal or external trainer depending on the resources and the exact training system envisaged
The person who will be responsible for guiding and supporting the training may be another more experienced collaborator or an external professional trainer.
- Preparation of work situations in which the employee will practice
Prepare the business environment for the device, as it is often not designed for the purpose of on-the-job training.
2 key stages of training
After preparing and implementing the entire training process in a work situation within the company and in teams, the learning process can begin. This consists of two types of sequences with distinct objectives that will be alternated:
- Work sequences which consist of a practical simulation in the field during which the employee will have to directly carry out the tasks for which he will be trained. In a production situation, he must therefore carry out an activity to acquire skills directly in the field. Accompanied by his trainer throughout the practice, he has the right to make mistakes during the work situation.
- So-called “reflexive” sequences, which constitute phases of retreat from the practice carried out previously, as well as expectations and results. This time allows the learner to analyze the activities carried out thanks to the help of his trainer and to use the pedagogical aspect of the lessons learned from practice. This sequence deepens the practice and consolidates it.
Following the training time, the company will have to ensure that the sequences have been sufficient and that the learner masters his new skills as best as possible. Then, specific evaluations should be carried out in order to know if the on-the-job training was effective and useful, both for the learner and for the company.
