Confucius once said: "If all I do is hear, I will forget. If I hear and see, I will remember. If I hear, see and do, I will understand." These words seem practical in various aspects of life. Mere studying alone can’t make you an efficient peron. Many people learn better when they start performing the works they will be responsible for in their professional life. Along with education, training is necessary which will expose one with the rigours of work. All industries want their workers with good skills and right attitude. Mostly they expect good employees to walk the way to their door seeking a job. But in reality it’s very difficult to get such an employee with magic-mix combination of skills and attitudes. Industries should develop good employees needed for them. Proper training can be one of the most important tools to develop good employees with required skills and attitudes. Effective on-the-job training (OJT) is a measure which will help to eliminate and mostly reduce the work failure and employee turnover.
OJT can be considered for the students, new recruits or existing workers. In Nepal, this term is quite new. The MBBS students perform their OJT in the name of internships and Industrial Engineers (IEs) from IOE, Thapathali Campus have their OJT in their final year. Fresh students have right attitude, knowledge and techniques, and their skills should be upgraded by means of good training, exposing them to rigours of real job.
OJT is the part of a college curriculum that is designed to train and orient students about their future work. OJT is very important not only to train students in their chosen career but to show students the reality about working. It’s used by many different industries around the world. During OJT period, students get chance to be acquainted with practical challenges of the organization.
Providing OJT is beneficial to both parties as current students will be future new hires of the industry. Good employees needed should be developed by the organization and it can be done only through structured OJT. OJT provides payback to industries to help compensate for the costs related with skills improvement training and loss of production for newly recruited employees. It’s an opportunity to train employees as required by them. For students, OJT is an opportunity to apply previously acquired knowledge and skills to career preparation and work. It helps students to consolidate previously learnt skills and to have the transition from university to work smooth.
IE students are not easily getting OJT in industries in Nepal. Although some Nepali industries have recruited pass out IEs, they are rejecting OJT request of new students. As OJT is beneficial to the industries, the management can be called narrow and inefficient. These industries are not realizing their role to offer OJT. One of the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry in Nepal, Unilever Nepal Ltd., which has employed IEs from IOE rejected to provide OJT to students from IOE. The Human Resource Manager denied to meet me, and said ‘no’ indirectly to my request. This is just a single example. Few other industries, as reported by my friends, have denied the OJT request. Officer of a wine factory situated in Chobhar, Kathmandu demanded Rs. 2,500 per hour to allow some students to visit their factory. This type of activity shrinks the reliance and innovativeness of students to perform projects, consequently decreasing their confidences. But the case is not same for all industries as many others have warmly welcomed the students for the OJT, also promising good salary during training session. These type of industries will help students to be more practical and efficient, thus augmenting the innovativeness and skills of students. This will certainly lead to improved state of industrial growth in the nation.
Beside students, industries should also provide OJT to existing employees. In Nepal, a big workforce leaves the job for better posts. This type of turnover is a major expense for many industries. When a worker leaves the job, there will be increased cost of vacancies in the media, interview and training cost and time, along with a huge productivity loss associated with time and money. Generally, to replace an employee it costs from one month to one year’s salary. Major turnovers in Nepali industries are because of employee frustration with their own skills and boredom from performing repeatedly the same work every day. Workers should be provided with effective OJT for their skill improvement so that they become able to perform new tasks. This frees them from frustration and boredom mentioned above. By providing new opportunities and support through effective OJT, workers can remain keen in the job and at the same time they become more valuable for the industry.
Inadequate training is the cause behind major mistakes which are taken as human error and often ignored. OJT is a major tool and technique to avoid such mistakes. Mistakes should be taken as learnable moments so that future occurrence can be avoided.
In Nepal, OJT is yet to be prioritized. The attitudes of managers in Nepali industries towards OJT need a radical change. Also the government should enact a law that binds industries to provide OJT to students compulsorily. It will lead to introduction of more efficient engineers who can drive the nation to Industrial development quickly.
Often the industries hate to see the skilled employees leave. To prevent this, they should be able to retain them through OJT. OJT programme gives students a head start, potentially developing their attitude towards learning. It may pay a little in a month to provide training but it should be never forgotten that it will continue to yield benefits year after year.
By Nirajan Pudasaini
First One Day Seminar by SOIES Held successfully
