In a constantly changing economic environment, the need for companies to invest in structured in-house on-the-job training is becoming inescapable. Faced with the imperatives of production, quality, transformation and skills transmission, this approach appears to be a major challenge for human resources, particularly in sectors facing labor shortages and/or high turnover. Yet many organizations find themselves at a loss when faced with the complexity of this ambitious project.
The effective deployment of on-the-job training makes a major contribution to operational performance. It enables direct observation and evaluation of skills, and therefore of the company's capabilities. Moreover, in line with strategic workforce planning objectives, well-structured on-the-job training not only meets economic objectives, but also social ones, contributing to the sustainable development of skills and employability.
On-the-job training exists in most organizations, but very often in an informal way. Although companies recognize the importance of on-the-job training for acquiring skills specific to their sector, implementing it in a structured and industrialized way remains a challenge.
Structuring of job-related training requires skills in instructional design and professional didactics, which are often lacking within in-house teams. This means "rearming" the company, and managing a transition to a mix that includes more "make" and less "buy", i.e. a lower proportion of external training.
The difficulty of structuring an in-house training system cannot be underestimated. A number of prerequisites must be met to ensure the success of this process. In particular, it is crucial that operational managers, together with HR/training teams, commit to an overall project that involves them fully, through 1) job analysis and identification of the most didactic working situations, 2) appointment and training of a team of field supervisors who will transmit the methodology and skills, and 3) acceptance of a relative drop in productivity during on-the-job training time. This investment is all the more difficult to pass off as it is rarely budgeted for.
With this in mind, it is essential that strategies aimed at structuring and developing human resources within large companies -and even SMEs- position this area as a change project, involving methodology, organization, tools and the updating of processes, including budgets. The use of external consultants and experts in this field may be necessary to accelerate this transition and help companies become autonomous in their approach.
To ensure that on-the-job training is structured to last, it is necessary to allow time for the changes to sink in, and to provide support over the medium term. The timeframe of this process must be taken into account. For example, it can take time for operational managers to develop skills such as reflexivity management and the ability to help others progress. On-the-job training is important for a company's long-term competitiveness but is rarely with a sense of urgency. In this context, it is advisable to start with concrete cases as soon as possible and persevere.
From a pedagogical point of view, structured on-the-job training should not be seen as exclusive of other training methods. Rather, it should be integrated into a set of complementary methods. This means going beyond the separation between on-the-job training and other internal training methods, such as classroom training, self-training or distance learning, to structure hybrid training paths.
In conclusion, the structuring of on-the-job training represents an essential lever for companies to meet the challenges of tomorrow. By investing in this area, they ensure that they have the skills they need to remain competitive in a constantly changing environment.