How To Make The Most Out Of On The Job Training

First things first, before you even begin, ask yourself what it is you want to gain from new job training. Is there a particular area that interests you that you want to focus on, for instance HR, or finance? Do you need training in a specific IT programme, or is it more customer service skills, or a role in a leisure centre you’d like? Think about your job role in general and what it is you want to achieve, and use training as a way to help you get there.

Job training presents a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have around a certain skill or development area, or the industry you’re working in as a whole. Think about what it is you want to learn more about or any areas you are unclear on, and consider the right time to ask them.

You could even address any questions you have to the person running the training in advance of it beginning. That way, they might be able to tailor the training towards those specific areas, or at the very least make sure they’re covered in some way.

Ahead of beginning any on the job training, it’s a good idea to consider your learning style and how you tend to learn best. For some, it’s visually, for others, verbally. Some like to stick to the top level points, while others require lots of detail.

Let your manager or whoever will be doing the training with you know in advance what training style you’d prefer, as they may be able to adapt it for you. Alternatively, consider doing any further research, note-taking, or training practice in the way you understand it best so that it’ll be most useful to you moving forward.

Once you’re coming towards the end of any job training, it can help to think about any key takeaways or action points. This can include the ways you’ll integrate your learning and insights into your day-to-day role once the training is complete. Once you’re coming towards the end of any job training, it can help to think about any key takeaways or action points. This can include the ways you’ll integrate your learning and insights into your day-to-day role once the training is complete. Consider:

• The most important things you’ve learnt along the way
• Specific actions you can take in the weeks following the training to apply these learnings
• If there are any obstacles standing in your way
• Any strategies you can use to help you achieve your goals
• If you’ll need any further support or training to assist you
• How you can hold yourself accountable to maintaining your training and goals

Last but not least, while you’re training on the job, and even beyond your training, it’s always useful to find a mentor to learn from. This could be someone who’s role you want to learn more about, or someone with skills you’d like to develop yourself. Take the time to get to know them, ask them any questions you might have, and even ask how best you can support them. It demonstrates not only a keenness to learn and improve yourself, but a sense of professionalism and can-do attitude.

At Better UK, throughout our training schemes, you’ll have plenty of support from a variety of individuals including:

• A senior mentor who will help you with networking and exposure to our culture and strategic business agenda, as well as your personal development.
• A line manager (normally a general manager), who will ensure you are up to speed with business practices in your allocated region and help you develop strong working relationships in selected partnerships.
• A ‘Buddy’, who is a previous or current trainee manager, will also support you.

Additionally, our training scheme is coordinated by the Director of Learning & Organisational Development who will guide and encourage you with regular progress and development meetings. Ongoing support is a key reason the scheme is so successful, as it allows you to foster excellent relationships, learn from others, and find out what areas of the business interest them the most.