12th Standard Commerce — Employee Training Method Online Test
Chapter 12 of 12th Commerce explains why organisations train employees, the six steps in designing a training programme, seven on the job and ten off the job training methods, the differences between the two approaches, and the benefits of training to the organisation, employees and customers.
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About Employee Training Method
Easy ~45 min study
Employee Training Method is chapter 12 of the Tamil Nadu State Board Class 12 Commerce book, in Unit IV, Human Resource Management. Once the right people are selected, management must train them, because some recruits know the job already while others are entirely new to it.
The lesson opens with Edwin B. Flippo's definition of training, lists ten purposes of training and the six questions every training programme must answer, then describes on the job and off the job methods and compares them in a table.
This page brings together the five book-back one mark questions, answered with the book's own key and checked against the lesson, and additional MCQs on every section, each with a short explanation.
What you'll learn
- Define training and state Edwin B. Flippo's definition.
- List the purposes of or need for training.
- Explain the six steps in designing a training programme.
- Describe the seven on the job training methods.
- Describe the ten off the job training methods.
- Distinguish on the job training from off the job training and list the benefits of training.
Before you start
- Recruitment and selection from the previous chapters of Unit IV.
- The meaning of human resource management.
- Basic idea of jobs, supervisors and departments in an organisation.
Topics covered in this chapter
Employee Training Method explained
What this lesson covers
Meaning and purpose of training
Training is the act of increasing the knowledge and skills of an employee for doing a particular job (Edwin B. Flippo). Its purposes include better quality of work, employee growth, prevention of obsolescence, enlightening new recruits, safety, motivation, productivity, cost reduction, reduced supervision and adaptability.
Designing a training programme
Six issues: whom to train, who is the trainee, who is the trainer, what method, what level of training and where to conduct it.
Training methods
On the job training follows learning by doing and learning while earning: coaching, mentoring, job rotation, job instruction technique, apprenticeship, committee assignment and understudy. Off the job training takes place away from the work floor: lecture, group discussion, case study, role play, seminar or conference, field trip, vestibule, e-learning, demonstration and programmed instruction.
Differences and benefits
On the job training is cheap, practical and suited to production jobs; off the job training is costlier, theoretical and suited to managerial jobs. Training benefits the organisation, the employees and the customers.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Calling vestibule training an on the job method. It is off the job, in an artificially created copy of the work place.
- Mixing up coaching and mentoring. Coaching corrects mistakes at the job; mentoring develops the attitude of mainly managerial staff.
- Thinking off the job training is cheaper. On the job training is the cheapest; off the job needs rooms, specialists and projectors.
- Treating job rotation as off the job. The trainee is moved between real jobs and departments.
- Answering 'coaching' for the book's question on training by a superior at the job; coaching is not among the options, and the key gives apprenticeship.
Test yourself on these with the practice test, then check the worked reasoning in the solved MCQs.
Frequently asked questions
What is training according to Edwin B. Flippo?
Edwin B. Flippo defined training as the act of increasing the knowledge and skills of an employee for doing a particular job. The lesson adds that training helps members of an organisation acquire and apply the knowledge, skill and attitudes needed to do their jobs effectively and efficiently.
What are the steps in designing a training programme?
Every programme must decide whom to train, who the trainee is, who the trainer is, which method will be used, what the level of training should be and where the programme will be conducted, including its venue and duration.
What is on the job training?
It is training given at the work place, usually by the immediate supervisor, so the employee learns the job in the actual work environment. It follows the principle of learning by doing and learning while earning and suits skills that can be learnt in a short time.
What is vestibule training?
Vestibule training trains employees in an environment that copies the actual work place but is created artificially for training. It avoids damage to machinery and disturbance of the normal workflow, and is given to drivers, pilots, space scientists and the like.
What is the mentoring method?
Mentoring is the sharing of an experienced employee's knowledge and experience. It focuses on developing the trainee's attitude, is mostly used for managerial employees and is always a one-to-one interaction with a senior person who gives support and feedback.
How does training benefit employees?
Training adds to an employee's knowledge, skill and competency, speeds up promotion, raises productivity and morale, brings higher earnings through incentives, builds confidence and encourages safe working in dangerous operations.
Last updated 16 October 2026