ON-THE-JOB-TRAINING

 

On-the-Job Training (OJT) is an employment opportunity in which a person is hired in a permanent, year-round position and given skill training by an employer.  OJT is a contract designed to compensate the employer 50% of the extraordinary costs associated with training a new employee and for the costs associated with the lower productivity of a new employee.

Most employers are eligible for OJT assistance.  This eligibility does create some inherent responsibilities for the employer who participates in OJT.  The employer must be capable of providing the proper quality & quantity of skilled, on-site instruction to the person being trained.  The employer must also assure that each trainee will be provided the same working conditions & fringe benefits as similarly-employed workers.

One of the first steps is to determine the eligibility of the prospective employee.  The WorkForce Center needs a minimum of five (5) working days to determine eligibility and to complete the necessary paperwork with the potential employee.

The employer & a WorkForce Center Representative work together to develop a training outline, from the employer’s job description, which accurately reflects the actual skill training needed to develop a productive employee.  The training outline identifies specific skills to be learned, the person(s) responsible for training, the number of hours to be spent learning each skill, and the measurements of the training results.  The training outline becomes part of the larger agreement which spells out all the terms & conditions of the OJT.

Training contracts average from 240 hours to 680 hours as determined by the complexity of the job to be learned, prior education, related work experience, current skill level of the job seeker, and budgetary restraints.  The OJT contract must be signed prior to the employee’s start date.  An OJT reimbursement is based on 50% of the trainee’s contracted wages.  Employers are asked to provide a monthly payroll statement, signed by both the employer & employee, and to provide a verbal progress report.  Paperwork is minimal.  Should employment be terminated for any reason, the OJT will be paid through the last day of employment.

• An OJT trainee is selected through an employer’s normal hiring process.
• An OJT may not be done for members of the employer’s immediate family, or with current or previous employees.
• An OJT cannot be done when the occupation is dependent on a commission as the primary source of income.
• An OJT cannot be done when similarly-employed persons are in layoff status or on strike.

 

For more information, contact the Thief River Falls WorkForce Center
681-0909 or at 1-888-GET-JOBS