I recently co-delivered a day of training that dealt with the topic of Training Within Industry, or TWI. TWI was a training methodology developed in the US during the Second World War, to address the labour and skills shortage felt within key industries, as the regular labour force were drafted to fight. It was primarily women that answered the call and continued to drive the wheels of American industry, and the excellent and important work that they did had as its foundation one major factor; the quality and structure of the training that they received.
There are three main factors underpinning the success of TWI. They are Job Instruction, Job Methods and Job Relations. Methods seek to break down a task into its constituent steps. In this way the trainer can analyse and define the key points, knacks and techniques, which can then be standardised and passed on. Relations can then take that analysis and apply it to the rigours of the PDCA cycle, hence seeking to continuously improve the operation by questioning the current best method.
But my attention was drawn to the Job Instruction process. Instruction refers to the way that the training is delivered, in an experiential and hands-on fashion. In itself, it is broken down into four main steps:
1) Prepare the worker.
2) Present the operation.
3) Let the learner try out the operation.
4) Create a follow-up plan with the learner.