Mining Product: Coaching Skills for On-the-Job Trainers

• Experienced workers
• Health and safety programs
• Inexperienced workers
• Training theory and methodology

This training package describes how to develop or manage an on-the-job training program so that information is passed on from trainer/coach to trainee efficiently and effectively.

On-the-job training (OJT) is a common form of training. It may sound relatively simple. However, to be effective, training must go beyond the simple process of having a new worker follow an experienced person around the workplace. This may be effective at times, but there will be less of a chance that standardized methods will be learned when new workers are informally taught their jobs. Also, certain methods or habits that should not be learned may be adopted by the new workers. The result is reduced efficiency and effectiveness. Giving coaching skills instruction to experienced workers will allow them to properly convey the information needed to do their tasks to workers new to the job. A formalized program reduces variability in what is taught across instructors and over time.

Various training methods have evolved to ensure that a trainee will absorb the information presented rather than simply emulate what the instructor is teaching. These methods have been brought together in a guide for developing an effective, formalized OJT program. This guide contains materials for teaching a one-day workshop that will better hone the knowledge and skills of coaches selected to conduct OJT. The guide has been formatted as a notebook divided into five sections:

1. Developing a coaching program discusses considerations for setting up a formal OJT program.
2. Conducting a workshop explains how to set up and conduct a workshop to train experienced workers to be successful OJT coaches.
3. Instructor's notes for workshop provides support for safety and training professionals who would like to conduct a workshop.
4. Slides for workshop gives hard copies of slides that can be used during the workshop.
5. Student workbook is trainee materials that coaches follow during the workshop and take with them to use as reference material as they practice their coaching skills.

These materials can be used to train coaches and to assist trainees as they go through the process of learning new jobs and tasks. Content related to specific jobs can be added to these materials to create targeted OJT manuals.

Installation notes:

1. Download the ZIP archive to your hard disk
2. Extract the files to a folder of your choice on your hard disk.

The folder will contain the documents of the 5 parts of the package in PDF format. As a convenience, some of the documents are also provided in Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, and HTML formats. There is also a folder containing the document "Coaching Skills for On-the-Job Trainers" (NIOSH Information Circular 9479).