Training You Should Provide to Your Student Employee

By Kailey Walters on December 9, 2018

As an employer, the responsibility of handling employees can often be both challenging and rewarding. After all, you are tasked with keeping your employees in line as well as assisting them in their personal and professional growth while on the job. Handling student employees might sometimes be even more of a challenge, considering they are often young and inexperienced — but also eager to learn and quick to pick up new skills.

Providing training to your student employees is a very important part of helping them acclimate to the work environment, whether they are being hired as a barista at Starbucks, as an intern at a corporate company, or as a cashier at the local supermarket. What’s more, it’s important to keep in mind that many students might bring to the table specific knowledge and skills that they’ve learned in their classes, but might not have a comprehensive understanding or experience with being in a work environment. That’s why it’s essential for student employees to receive proper training, so that they have the necessary skills and information to do their jobs well.

Without further ado, here are a few areas in which you should be training your student employees to ensure they are as well-informed as they possibly can be.

via Pexels.com

Orientation

Before the actual job training begins, you may want to gently guide students into a welcoming and open space, to help them transition into the job and the company itself. Holding a general orientation can be an effective way to do so. Beyond a single orientation event in the beginning of their employment, however, offering an ongoing orientation to the company and the job is a great way to help the student employee feel more welcome and comfortable within the first few weeks.

One thing you can do for your student employee is to provide them with the necessary resources. Before they start, set up their work area with supplies and equipment that they will need — perhaps pens, pencils, notepads, paper, and/or handbooks and manuals that contain company guidelines. Having this space set up for them will allow them to feel welcomed and their presence valued in the company or workplace.

You can also familiarize them with the culture of the company by introducing them to other employees (both other part-time student employees as well as full-time ones) and helping them become integrated into the company itself. Maybe there’s a company softball team that holds practices every week, or a company picnic coming up this month — whatever it is, introducing your student employees to how the company works is a great way to integrate them into the culture. As a result, they might feel more inclined to do well at their jobs if they already feel included and welcomed.

Compliance and Safety Training

Another important aspect of properly training employees (both students and non-students) is providing compliance and safety training. Compliance training may include learning the basic rules of the company, pertaining to such topics as sexual misconduct prevention and IT security training, among other things. Safety training may include training on what to do in case of emergencies, such as a fire or dangerous invader in the building. Keeping student employees up to speed on these things is crucial so that the company can be safe and function well as a whole.

Soft Skills

Once student employees feel more comfortable and know the rules of the workplace, it’s important that they are taught some basic soft skills to help them navigate that professional environment. Particularly as a number of students might not be accustomed to a professional workplace, it’s a good idea to train them, or at least remind them, of what makes for acceptable professional etiquette. While it is certainly not your job to teach student employees afresh how to act in a workplace environment (they should already know how to behave!), you may want to let them know of the company’s standards for such things as dress code and timeliness. Making sure that they comply with these expectations not only teaches them the specific standards they need to adhere to, but also allows them to feel like they are being treated as a true employee in the company.

Specific Job Skills

When it comes to the specific job the student employees will be working, they should know what exactly is required of them. One way to prepare them is to have more experienced employees train the student employees, so that they receive a more individualized approach. It’s also useful to come up with a checklist or schedule of all the tasks and skills they will be expected to complete and learn throughout the course of their employment.

Training your student employees for their job will ultimately benefit them, you as an employer, and the company as a whole. Take the time and effort to train your employees well, and the results will show!

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