On‐the‐job training: a key to human resource development

Presents the main findings of the study recently conducted by the author: “On‐the‐job training: a tool for professionalism and productivity” (a case study of Botswana National Library Service), which was carried out in order to explore and identify on‐the‐job training (OJT) needs for library staff. The instrument used was an open‐ended questionnaire followed by interviews to eliminate ambiguities. Questionnaires were coded after data collection. This procedure was found to be more appropriate as participants were free to express opinions without being influenced by available choices. Data were analysed by using the MINI TAB computer program. A total of 64 library users and 64 library staff (31 professionals and 33 diploma holders) were surveyed. The main OJT training needs were identified as: information technology, job orientation, customer service/public relations, marketing/publicity, refresher courses and managerial skills.