On-the-job training (OJT) is often hailed as a best practice to ensure safety in formulating and manufacturing environments, as workers best retain information when they are learning exactly where they’ll be applying the training, using the actual equipment. Particularly as EPA and industry requirements continue to evolve, it’s more important now than ever that workers thoroughly understand and adhere to operational practices. And since OJT means learning by doing, the frequent one-on-one dialogue between workers and supervisors provides numerous opportunities to strengthen their relationship.
Despite all the benefits, on-the-job training also has its well-documented faults that pose challenges for every manufacturing company, with consistency at the top of that list. Maintaining a system that ensures any OJT being provided is accurate and has been vetted and approved by operational leaders has historically been difficult, to say the least. It can also spread bad practices if below average or less experienced team members are the ones providing OJT on the fly.