Developing employee expertise through structured on‐the‐job training (S‐OJT): an introduction to this training approach and the KNPC experience

Purpose – This paper aims to describe how structured on‐the‐job training (S‐OJT) was implemented to develop new‐hire engineers at the Kuwait National Petroleum Company. Design/methodology/approach – The paper describes a case study on the development, implementation, and evaluation results of an extensive case study in an organization. Findings – The results show a reduction in development time and increased confidence in the skills of the new‐hire engineers, among other outcomes reported. Practical implications – The case study can assist other advanced training and human resource development practitioners to develop high‐skilled technical employees who may require different approaches to ensure a depth of conceptual and job‐related information. Originality/value – The intent of the case study is to assist other advanced training and human resource development practitioners in developing high‐skilled technical employees. Such employees require different approaches to ensure a depth of conceptual and job‐related information. The case study shows how one organization addressed this issue.