How to Do On-the-Job Training

Educational guides for employers on organising workplace training — identifying needs, planning, delivering, recording and reviewing. Connected to workplace training, training records and workplace safety. Informational only — not legal advice, not certified training and not a substitute for legally required instruction; employers remain responsible for compliance.

What on-the-job training involves

On-the-job training prepares a worker to perform a real task by learning it in the workplace under guidance — typically explaining, demonstrating, supervised practice and then checking they can do it safely.

This page is an educational outline of how employers generally run on-the-job training. It does not certify anyone and does not replace any legally required training or formal qualification a task may demand.

Why on-the-job training matters

• It teaches the task exactly as it is done, on the actual equipment.
• A worker practises safely with an experienced person nearby.
• Understanding can be checked in real conditions before working alone.
• It links general instruction to the specific way your site operates.

Before you start: what you need

• A clear, safe method for the task, written down where it helps.
• An experienced, competent person to deliver and supervise the training.
• The right equipment, PPE and a realistic but safe setting.
• A simple way to record what was taught and observed.

Step 1: Prepare the task and the trainer

• Break the task into clear, logical steps.
• Identify the hazards and the controls at each step.
• Brief the trainer on what good looks like and what to watch for.
• Make sure the worker has had any prior instruction the task assumes.

Step 2: Explain and demonstrate

• Explain why the task matters and where the risks are.
• Demonstrate the whole task at normal pace, then step by step.
• Highlight the key points and the easy mistakes to make.
• Invite questions and check the worker is following before moving on.

Step 3: Supervised practice

• Let the worker try the task with the trainer alongside.
• Give immediate, specific feedback and correct unsafe habits early.
• Repeat until the worker is steady, not just once-through.
• Reduce supervision gradually as confidence and accuracy grow.

Step 4: Check understanding before working alone

• Watch the worker complete the task unaided and safely.
• Ask them to explain the key risks and what they would do if something went wrong.
• Only let them work alone when the employer is satisfied they are ready.
• Plan a follow-up to confirm the task is still done correctly.

Involving competent persons

On-the-job training depends on an experienced, competent person delivering it well — someone who knows the safe method and can spot and correct unsafe habits. For specialist or higher-risk tasks, that person’s involvement is especially important.

They observe and advise, but the decision that a worker is competent and may work alone remains the employer’s judgement, built on the required training.

Documentation & records

• Record the task, the dates, the trainer and what was observed.
• Update a training matrix to show the worker’s status on the task.
• Note when supervised practice ended and unsupervised work began.
• These can be kept and shared as PDFs; a record documents the training, not competence itself.

How to review and improve

• Revisit the task after a short period to confirm safe habits have stuck.
• Update the method and the training when equipment or risks change.
• Ask trainers what learners struggle with and refine the steps.
• Re-train where mistakes, near misses or changes suggest a gap.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Rushing from demonstration straight to unsupervised work.
• Using whoever is free rather than a competent trainer.
• Skipping the check that the worker has truly understood.
• Letting workers use equipment that needs separate training and authorisation first.

Who is responsible and your legal duties

The employer decides what on-the-job training a task needs, who delivers it, when a worker is ready to work alone, and keeps the records. This guide is an educational outline to help plan that — it does not deliver training, certify anyone or transfer the employer’s responsibility.

Some tasks carry specific legal training requirements that on-the-job coaching alone may not satisfy. Confirm your duties against the applicable law; this guide is not legal advice and following it does not make your workplace compliant.