OJT (On-the-Job Training) develops staff while they carry out actual work in the workplace, with a manager or senior colleague teaching the knowledge and skills the job requires.
Because what is taught ties directly to the task at hand, people can put it to use in their work right away. On the other hand, the quality of training tends to vary with the instructor's ability and how busy the workplace is.
AnalogyLike an apprentice carpenter who, instead of attending blueprint lectures in a classroom, sharpens their craft by picking up tools and working on the master's job site.
How to remember"On the job" means "while doing the work". You learn on site, so remember it by the word on.
Exam points
ExamFor example, having a new hire draft a proposal for a client while a senior colleague reviews the result and suggests revisions counts as OJT, because the person is developed through the work itself.
Off-JT (Off-the-Job Training) develops staff away from daily work, teaching knowledge and skills through training sessions and courses.
In-house group training and outside seminars are typical examples, and they make it easy to teach the same content to many people at once or to build up step by step from the basics. On the other hand, how to apply what was learned to one's own job is often left to each participant.
AnalogyLike stepping away from the game to a practice field, where an instructor walks you through the basic moves one at a time.
Exam points
Mix-upWhat separates OJT from Off-JT is not whether learning takes place inside or outside the company, but whether it happens during actual work or away from it. Even a training session held in-house is Off-JT if people step away from their work to attend it.
e-Learning (e-ラーニング) is a way of studying course material using IT devices such as PCs and smartphones over a network.
Learners do not need to be in the same place at the same time as an instructor, so they can study when it suits them and review the same material as often as they like. The organizer can prepare material once, deliver it to many learners, and record and manage a learning history showing how far each person has progressed.
AnalogyRather than a class where everyone gathers in a room at a set time, it is like a streaming service that lets you play recorded lectures whenever you want.
How to rememberThe e stands for electronic, the same e as in e-mail.
Exam points
ExamWith e-Learning (e-ラーニング), learners can study from their workplace or home, choosing whatever time suits them, such as a gap between tasks.
Adaptive Learning (アダプティブラーニング) uses IT to track each learner's level of understanding and progress, and changes the questions and material it presents to match.
Learner answers questions
Answer records are collected and analyzed
Strengths and weaknesses are estimated
Next material is fitted to that person
It presents the next material, with more on weak areas and less on what the learner already knows.
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It collects and analyzes a learning history, such as whether answers were right and how long they took, then focuses on weak areas and moves quickly through what the learner already knows. Because the path differs from person to person, learners tend to gain more in the same amount of time.
AnalogyLike a private tutor who checks the student's answers every time and reworks the next homework assignment just for that student.
How to rememberAdaptive means "adjusting to fit". Read it as the material adjusting to the learner.
Exam points
Mix-upe-Learning (e-ラーニング) refers to learning through material delivered over IT devices and a network, while Adaptive Learning (アダプティブラーニング) refers to changing what is delivered for each learner.
Coaching (コーチング) is a development method in which the guide does not hand over answers but uses questions and dialogue to get the person thinking, drawing goals and solutions out of the person themselves.
Coach asks questions
Person thinks and puts it into words
Person decides the next action
The person chooses their own next step, and the coach backs them in carrying it out.
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The guide takes the role of listener, asking question after question and helping the person turn their own insights into an action plan. The aim is to build the person's ability to think and act on their own.
AnalogyNot a guide who tells you the way, but a companion walking beside you as you hold the map, asking, "Which way do you want to go next?"
How to rememberA coach was originally a horse-drawn carriage. The passenger decides where to go, and the coach carries them there.
Exam points
Mix-upCoaching (コーチング) gets the person to think without giving them answers, which runs in the opposite direction from instruction that hands over knowledge and methods directly (teaching, ティーチング).
Mentoring (メンタリング) is a development method in which an experienced senior (the mentor, メンター) builds an ongoing relationship with a junior (the mentee, メンティ) and supports their growth and career through advice and emotional support.
Its distinctive feature is that it covers not just how to do the work but also worries about one's future career and anxieties at the workplace. Sometimes the mentor is a senior from a different department rather than the direct manager.
AnalogyLike someone who walked the same road before you, joining you now and then to point out where people tend to stumble and where the shortcuts are.
How to rememberThe word mentor comes from Mentor, the wise man in Greek myth who guided the prince Telemachus.
Exam points
Mix-upCoaching (コーチング) draws out the person's own answers through questions, while Mentoring (メンタリング) means the mentor advises from their own experience and remains someone to consult over the long term.
Coaching vs. Mentoring
Aspect
Coaching
Mentoring
Key differenceMain approach
Uses questions to make the person think and draw out answers
Advises and supports based on one's own experience
Scope
Actions toward goals or issues the person has set
Work plus advice on career and personal worries
Form of relationship
Repeated conversations aimed at a goal
A long-term bond of trust between senior and junior
Key points
OJT makes the practice of one's assigned work itself the place of development, and the quality of training tends to depend on the instructor's ability.
Off-JT takes the form of training sessions and courses, which makes it easy to teach the same content to many people at once.
e-Learning eases limits on when and where people study, and lets the organizer record and manage each person's learning history.
Adaptive Learning analyzes learning records and changes the material for each person, for example by putting more weight on weak areas.
Mentoring offers support within an ongoing relationship, covering work skills as well as career questions and personal worries.