On-the-job training is usually the most effective way to learn the skills needed for your job. No one really wants to spend time away from their work, sitting in a classroom, when they could be in their workplace learning as they do their job. It is easier for a trainee to adapt to the new skills they are acquiring when they can apply them directly to their job routine as they are being taught. They will also be more likely to learn skills that are actually helpful with their job rather than just as a tick in a check-box on the way to a qualification.

On-the-job training typically involves verbal and written instruction and demonstration, and hands-on practice and imitation, while also including mentoring from an experienced employee or supervisor, who can pass on company-specific knowledge and skills. Employees being trained on-the-job are working in their real work environment, gaining experience and working through challenges that are a part of their everyday jobs. They learn general skills that apply to any job, but also specific skills that apply directly to the company they work for

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On-the-job training benefits both employers and employees; for employers, on-the-job training:

• trains employees for their jobs within your business, giving them the skills that will help them be the right fit for your company;
• creates workers that are more loyal to your business because they feel as though you are invested in their growth, it may be an investment that costs time and money, but it is also one that benefits the most important asset in the company, the employees;
• lends to a more flexible attitude when it comes to employees doing tasks that may not fit the job description; broadening their abilities to cover more areas will end the ‘not my job’ attitude that can plague a workplace, and create a culture that extends past only doing the bare minimum required;
• allows employees to continue to work while learning, which should not disrupt the workplace in the same way off-the-job training can.

For employees, on-the-job training:

• allows them to gain new skills and qualifications within their field of work;
• is less likely to be a time waster than off-the-job training can be, employees are much more likely to engage in learning when they can see the benefit it will have on their job;
• makes a person feel more satisfied with their job, and also their position within a company;
• will lead to more opportunities for upward movement within the business.