What is on the job trainning?

On the Job Training or OJT as it is known in the United States is the practise that was popularized during the 1990s as the technology boom (.com) period began. The demand for knowledge workers was so great that many full-time employees of technology companies left their positions for consulting positions.

In these contract positions, there was a need to figure out how to do programming, technological, or implementation of new software applications, hardware or create completely new ways of business.

This time of rapid change of skills and needed abilities required some workers learn how to perform these skills without having prior knowledge. This was called OJT, or On the Job Training, and was considered less than optimal but was often done by ambitious contractors.

Later in the 2000's it became known as a derogatory term for technology workers who were not properly trained but were represented as being fully skilled were placed into contract positions with unsuspecting clients. This practise lead to better interviewing practices and methods to prevent the clients from paying for OJT.