What Is Just-In-Time Training?

Just-in-time training is a teaching method employed in many professions. It may teach diverse things but the underlying philosophy is that it is best to train employees for some types of work, just before they will perform that work. Training that takes place “just-in-case” or at some point in the distant past is likely to be at least partially forgotten, requiring brush-up or relearning. If just-in-time training is used instead, the likelihood of forgetting what has been learned is decreased and an employee doesn’t have to exert effort to remember very detailed work applications they learned in a just-in-case training session.

Numerous fields employ just-in-time training that employees can then implement quickly. New changes to software or an operating system might inspire employers to offer just-in-time training of employees so that the changes are understood and enhance or don’t get in the way of work. The outbreak of a specific disease, such as H1N1 in 2009 and 2010 prompted many medical facilities and individual doctors’ offices to undergo swift training so that they would recognize the disease and adhere to treatment and handling protocols. Accountants who have just picked up an out of state account might train their employees on the tax laws of that state, which can then be directly applied in formulating the new account’s tax reports.

Another element to just-in-time training, particularly in manufacturing, is that it can be a way of controlling inventory and saving money on storage costs. Just-in-case training on various manufacturing skills may mean companies must keep stock on hand that it won’t use for years, and providing that storage is costly. When the items needed to perform a job don’t arrive until just before they are used, employees can receive training they need right before they require it, and storage costs of unused equipment or material are lowered. Alternately, “just-in-time manufacturing” may apply to keeping minimal supplies, of things like spare parts, on hand to lower inventory storage costs.

There exist many different ways that just-in-time training might be enacted. Training might be by lecture with accessory written material, but more often it includes things like Powerpoint® presentations, videos or DVDs, and accessible computer programs that include ways to test knowledge. When computers are used, it may not be strictly necessary for all employees to meet at the same time, giving employees more flexibility in pursuing the training.

Some companies specialize in offering training in specific fields or areas of interest. When companies purchase items that will be used every day like computer hardware or software, machinery of various types, or vehicles, the companies that manufacture these items may offer just-in-time training with the purchase or for an additional price. Companies may also produce their own just-in-time education programs, as required by current or upcoming learning needs.