Why is it that organisations believe that their staff need to have a full blown IT induction on day one? By this I mean covering everything someone can possibly need in 1 or 2 days. Don't get me wrong - inductions are important, but do you really think that the 'new kid' has to know how to do a technical thingy that they will use once a quarter on their first day? The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) offers guidance on setting up an induction programme but little is mentioned of IT induction which is often overdone at the first stab.
An Induction can, and probably should, last a number of weeks if not months. We all know as training practitioners in IT that small bites over a longer period of time, combined with practical helps learners remember. Shouldn't this mean that the 'Induction' should be the bare minimum that 'the new kid' needs to be able to work when they first sit at their brand new desk (new to them, not necessarily a brand new desk).Additional training can be available on a more 'just in time' basis or scheduled over the coming weeks / months using a blended learning approach.
Best of all, blend in performance-based training (ie training that is needed to perform a job role to just the level and at just the time it is required).
Of course, the other question is around how we stop Induction, particularly in Health and Safety, being a death by PowerPoint / lecture, but that's a whole other discussion.
