A learning organization is a large umbrella that is supported by various principles and practices.  More practical learning at work is supported by training, onboarding and orientation.  In order to set your program up for success, it’s important to note that there is a difference between onboarding, orientation and training. Often these three words are used interchangeably, but understanding the nuanced differences can help you lead your program to more successful outcomes. 

Onboarding: Is an umbrella term that covers a series of activities that involves taking a new hire through the process of being fully integrated into their role, team and corporate culture of the organization. Onboarding is complete when someone is a fully contributing member of the team and an expert in their role. This process can take anywhere from 3 months to one year (for more senior positions). 

Orientation: Is a stage of onboarding that is a one-time event, usually occurring before someone starts doing their job. It provides a new hire with the basic information they need to function comfortably in their new role.  

Training: Focuses on increasing an employee’s ability to complete a specific skill or task and sometimes includes activities that focus on helping them develop a certain attitude or approach to their work.  

What this means for you as a Program Director...

• As you think about setting up orientation for your program, start by understanding that onboarding of new employees needs to extend well beyond your orientation session. This means onboarding continues long after orientation is over.  As the program director, you are responsible for planning continued onboarding activities. Think about how long it usually takes for instructors to fully hit their stride - that is likely how long onboarding takes. 
• Ask  yourself: “What onboarding activities I can offer after orientation is done?”  
• Not every item in your orientation session is training; some is basic information sharing. You can start to delineate items in orientation by asking the question: “Is this increasing an employee’s ability to complete a specific skill or task?” If the answer is no, it can be an important part of what they need in order to do their job well, but it is likely information sharing. Once you have made this distinction, you can treat this content differently. 

As the Program Director you are responsible for instructor learning, training and development. This responsibility starts the moment the instructor is hired and continues throughout their employment. Part of your responsibilities include:

• Having a clear job description that outlines their responsibilities - all training and orientation should be developed based on the requirements of their role.
• Provide training that is relevant to the role at the appropriate times that instructors need it. This means pacing training activities to maximize learning.
• Providing feedback throughout the entire program so that instructors understand how they are developing and what areas of their work need to improve.  

We will use the following organizational-level theories to build a foundation of training and development within your program:

• The principles of learning organizations and how they apply to your context
• The difference between formal and information learning
• The difference between orientation, onboarding and training
• Your responsibility in onboarding and training instructors