Induction and training
Induction welcomes and settles a new employee; training builds the knowledge and skill for the job, either on the job or off the job.
Induction: meaning and content
Induction (orientation) is the process of welcoming a new employee and introducing the organisation, the job, colleagues and the rules, so that the person settles quickly and feels part of the team. A good induction covers: the unit's history, aims and customers; the organisation chart and the supervisor; rules on timings, leave, uniform, personal hygiene, safety and fire exits; pay, benefits and welfare; the job duties and work schedule; and a tour of the kitchen, stores, washrooms and canteen. It reduces early mistakes, anxiety and staff turnover.
Methods of induction
| Method | How it works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Formal | A planned programme by the manager or personnel officer | Talk, handbook, hygiene video and kitchen tour on day one |
| Informal | The newcomer learns while working, from colleagues | A helper picks up the routine in the first week |
| Individual | One newcomer inducted at a time | A new dietitian in a hospital |
| Group (collective) | Several newcomers inducted together | Twenty new staff before a canteen opens |
| Serial (buddy or sponsor) | An experienced worker guides the newcomer | A senior cook mentors a new cook for a month |
| Disjunctive | No experienced guide; the newcomer works it out | The first person in a newly created post |
Importance of training
- Raises skill and productivity: more meals of better quality per worker.
- Gives uniform quality through standard recipes and portions.
- Builds food safety and hygiene habits (e.g. FSSAI's FoSTaC training for food handlers and supervisors).
- Reduces accidents, breakage and waste.
- Needs less supervision; workers can take responsibility.
- Improves morale and lowers staff turnover.
- Prepares staff for new equipment and menus (combi-ovens, millet dishes, apps).
- Prepares staff for promotion.
Methods of training
| Method | Type | Kitchen example |
|---|---|---|
| Job instruction training | On the job | Teaching safe use of a vegetable slicer step by step |
| Coaching | On the job | Head cook corrects a trainee's tempering during service |
| Job rotation | On the job | Trainee moves through vegetable, cooking and service sections |
| Apprenticeship | On the job | A young baker learns under a master baker for a set period |
| Understudy | On the job | Assistant works beside the storekeeper to take over later |
| Lecture and demonstration | Off the job | Talk and demo on handwashing and allergen control |
| Role play and case study | Off the job | Handling a guest's complaint; analysing a food poisoning case |
| Vestibule (simulation) training | Off the job | Practising on machines set up in a training room |
| Films, e-learning, field visits | Off the job | Online hygiene module; visit to a model central kitchen |
Job instruction training: four steps
Developed in the Training Within Industry programme during the Second World War, still the standard way to teach a kitchen task.
- 1Prepare the worker: put her at ease, find out what she knows, create interest.
- 2Present the operation: tell, show and explain one step at a time, stressing key points such as using the guard.
- 3★Try out performance: she does the task and explains it; correct errors until she has it right.
- 4Follow up: let her work alone, check often, tell her whom to ask, and taper off.
★ one-way, controls the pace
Most food poisoning in canteens traces back to untrained handlers: unwashed hands, food left warm, raw and cooked mixed. Induction on day one and regular hygiene training are the cheapest safety tools a kitchen has.
2 marks: “What is induction?” The process of welcoming a new employee and introducing the organisation, job, colleagues and rules so that the person settles quickly.
5 marks: “Explain the importance of training in a food service establishment.” Skill and productivity, uniform quality, food safety, fewer accidents and less waste, less supervision, morale and lower turnover, new equipment, promotion.
10 marks: “Define training. Explain the methods of training food service staff.” Define; importance in brief; on-the-job methods (JIT with four steps, coaching, rotation, apprenticeship, understudy); off-the-job methods (lecture, role play, case study, vestibule, e-learning); conclude.
JIT in four words: Prepare, Present, Try, Follow.