On-the-Job Training: How Technology is Powering New Era Programs

New era technology allows us to adapt to remote and hybrid work environments and makes employee training more effective than ever before says Patrik Wilkens, vice president of operations at TheSoul Publishing.

September 2, 2022

In the modern business world, adaptation is everything. New platforms, markets, and technologies appear every quarter, making each new venture feel risky as the landscape is liable to change at a moment’s notice.

Even if a company can adjust its aims and strategy to accommodate these changes, ensuring its employees have the skills necessary to adapt at such a pace is an entirely different challenge..

That’s where on-the-job training programs powered by innovative technologies can help.

Why are companies developing new on-the-job training programs?

First, we must take stock and recognize that on-the-job training is not a novel invention. Training employees to handle new or unfamiliar tasks has been around since the beginning. From facilitating mentorship between highly-competent colleagues and other employees to developing user manuals for technical skills, companies already have the means to train employees.

However, the rapid changes currently required by workplaces and industries are due to a rise in the number of employees working remotely or through a hybrid model. Companies are now wondering how to achieve on-the-job training more effectively and at scale. 

Businesses have embraced various digital technologies to tackle the challenge of upskilling, reskilling, and even onboarding employees. For example, it’s becoming increasingly common for new employees to be onboarded without stepping foot in a company’s office – if that company even has a physical office space. With rapid technological change happening across all industries, companies, including TheSoul Publishing, have even begun re-onboarding employees to ensure they can confidently navigate new technologies the company has implemented.

In addition, with limited physical interaction between employees and fewer communal spaces for them to meet one another, businesses are concerned about how to build a stable company culture. Effective on-the-job training helps tackle this issue, too. 

A new era of learning and development has emerged, whereby companies induct employees into the company’s workspace culture through programs tailored to individual companies, their expectations, and their core values.

The advantages of new technologies for on-the-job training programs

There are many benefits that new technologies bring to training programs, with three main advantages:

1. Workforces become increasingly adaptable

New technology allows more efficient training programs to be implemented company-wide and at scale. Digital teaching methods have a much lower financial cost than traditional, pre-pandemic training methods.

With the streamlined ability to facilitate training across the company and not solely at the level of the individual employee, an entire workforce can become flexible and adaptable to whatever the business world throws at them.

This is because the “that’s not part of my job” mentality will disappear when you have well-trained employees. While you don’t want to train each employee to do absolutely everything, training can expand employee capabilities beyond the minimum requirements of their initial role. When it comes to unfamiliar tasks, the philosophy of “no-can-do” vanishes. Instead, employees ask, “Where can I learn how to do this?”  

A new problem then emerges: employees ask themselves, “Will my manager be upset if I take the time to educate myself?” Therefore, to ensure employees feel comfortable developing new skills, businesses must foster an environment in which employees are encouraged and empowered to pursue additional on-the-job training. Overall, it yields long-term benefits for both the employer and employee.

2. Employee engagement with programs is enhanced

A 700-page training manual filled with a mile-long table of contents may be comprehensive, but it is certainly not engaging for employees. 

By harnessing new technologies’ dynamic and integrated nature, companies can make the training process far more engaging, exciting, and digestible. Companies can ensure employees are truly absorbing and contextualizing the content by including fun and informative videos to introduce gamification into the programs. 

3. Evaluating progress is streamlined

When it comes to ensuring their employees understand complicated technical procedures, follow essential guidelines, and abide by health and safety protocols, companies need to do more than provide lengthy documents and assume employees will retain all the information.

The internalization of this information is vital. Companies must determine whether employees have thoroughly understood the subject matter. By utilizing the versatility of the technology, companies can evaluate an individual employee’s progress in real-time via multimedia tools that involve games, quizzes, and videos. Companies can then determine if the on-the-job training was effective or if adjustments are necessary.

See More: Upskilling at Scale: How Virtual Reality Is Revolutionizing Employee Training

How are companies using technology to innovate on-the-job training programs?

There are various ways that companies incorporate technology into training programs. Two of the most groundbreaking involve: 

1. Immersive technology

Immersive training harnesses the power of next-generation technology to create on-the-job programs designed with a human-centric approach. They are individually tailored and avoid assuming every employee learns in the same way and at the same speed.

Immersive technology, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), involves blending the real world with the digital world. This technology enhances the elements of the most effective forms of on-the-job training, including gamified online platforms and demonstrator videos that are short, sweet, and aimed at highly specific skills.

VR and AR experiences also heighten employee engagement to new levels. Employees are involved in a practical, hands-on manner, such as by manipulating objects in a digital environment. Employees can thus do tasks themselves while having the freedom to make mistakes from which they can learn and improve their abilities. As John Dewey says, “Failure is instructive. The person who thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.”

2. Opening up future-focused training for all

Offering free training via the internet is part of a broader movement to make information easily accessible and give individuals a sense of freedom to determine their future. From Khan Academy to a constant stream of YouTube tutorials, it is clear that the internet is revolutionizing education, especially skill-based education.

Companies have taken note of this change. They’ve broadened their focus and begun offering skill-based training programs to talented individuals outside the company.

TheSoul Publishing is an example of a company that has previously opened up its on-the-job training programs to offer educational experiences to everyone. It adapted its internal Boost Academy into three future-focused camps available to all, which enabled TheSoul to deliver powerful training methods that helped individuals prepare for a future requiring skills such as social media management, animation, and video production.

It Doesn’t End with Employees

As companies adapt on-the-job training to provide everyone with access to these skills, we should remember that this will benefit everyone involved.

Companies who adopt a teach-first, hire-later philosophy will find the most qualified candidates gravitating towards them, especially if the company’s industry makes it difficult to attract qualified employees. Potential employees who want to advance their careers see it as a perk, signaling that companies are willing to grow from the inside through training and promotions.

Improving on and opening up skill-based training will always be a win-win situation for both employers and employees.

What your organization is doing to provide more innovative on-the-job training programs? Let us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!

MORE ON EMPLOYEE TRAINING

Patrik Wilkens
Patrik Wilkens

Vice President of Operations, TheSoul Publishing

Patrik Wilkens is Vice President of Operations at TheSoul Publishing. As an executive leader in the digital entertainment industry, Wilkens brings more than 14 years of experience in managing teams, building organizations, and growing products, having launched more than sixty successful products, culminating in over 250 million installations. At TheSoul Publishing, Wilkens collaborates with the COO in setting and driving operational strategy with a focus on growing additional revenue streams via brand deals and licensing. With the scale of TheSoul Publishing continuing to accelerate, Wilkens’ leadership and extensive experience scaling companies is particularly beneficial as the studio continues its exponential growth.
Take me to Community
Do you still have questions? Head over to the Spiceworks Community to find answers.