how it was marked, cut, and joined; and why that particular joint was necessary. The strikers understood and easily proceeded with the job.

There are as many examples of OJT as there are contacts between personnel in the Seabees. In a Seabee organization, OJT is important because of the continuous changes in equipment and personnel. OJT provides continuous opportunities for new and better methods of doing construction work.

In the Seabees, as well as in private industry, the term on-the-job training means helping an individual acquire the necessary knowledge, skill, and habits to perform a specific job. This definition implies that the job training applies not only to the Constructionman or to the new personnel in an organization, but also to any other person who is assigned a new job. It indicates that iob training is a continual process in the Seabees. No one is completely trained. Performance can alway be improved. It is by keeping interest high and by sharing directions, suggestions, and information that we increase proficiency.

Bear in mind, however, that OJT is an active process and requires supervisors who are aware of the needs of the trainees and who can motivate them to learn. Use methods that add meaningful experiences to the trainees' storehouse of knowledge.

A supervisor who does a good job of training personnel benefits in many ways. For one thing, well-trained crew members brag about their supervisor, especially to their buddies in other crews. If you have a valuable skill, knowledge, or attitude and impart that skill, knowledge, or attitude to 10 others - you have multiplied your effectiveness considerably.

Setting Up a Program

In setting up an OJT program, one of the first things you should do is an administrative analysis to determine the training needs.

One of the training needs may be for advancement in rate for your personnel. Few things will make you as proud as seeing Constructionmen that you have trained make third class petty officer. Do you know what they are thinking? Their comments may be, "Oh boy, no more mess cooking." But their real thoughts are probably that they cannot wait until they can sew on the next stripe. In preparing a program, keep three things in mind:

The subjects to be taught

Your broad knowledge pertaining to the training objectives

Ways you can best share your experience

When breaking the subjects down into lessons, consider the length of time to be devoted to each subject, and determine if you are going to teach these subjects in a classroom, field, or shop. You may have to determine lesson objectives, establish lesson sequence, analyze reference materials, prepare lesson plans, and so on. Remember that in any type of training program, the objective is to help the trainee learn the most information in the shortest time possible.

Implementing a Program

You should consider various courses of action in implementing an OJT program. To the supervisor or trainer, some of the most important are as follows:

- Survey unit assignments and be sure each as- signment fits an individual's classification and specific skills background.

- Determine the exact need for training. To deter- mine this need, establish two things: (A) the specific job requirements and (B) the individual skills of the trainee. when A and B are known, the OJT required can be stated in a simple formula.

A + B = OJT required

- Determine the most effective method or meth- ods of training. The number of people, time available, facilities required, nature of the training, and individual capabilities are factors that will affect your decision.

- Select the individuals who will actually con- duct the training. You should remember that the end product will be no better than those who conduct the training program.

- Procure all available materials that may help supplement the program.

- Monitor the program continually. You need to be sure that the OJT does not lag, that training records are kept current, and that newly developed skills are properly applied.

This is truly a large order. But now, more than ever, our Navy depends upon quality training. It is an important job, and it is one that never ends.