Vestibule Training
A vestibule is a large entrance or reception room or area. Vestibule Training is a term for near-the-job training, as it offers access to something new (learning).
In the early 1800s, factory schools were created, due to the industrial revolution, in which workers were trained in classrooms within the factory walls. The apprentice system was inadequate due to the number of learners that had to be trained as the machines of the Industrial Revolution increased the ability of the factory to produce goods. The factory owners needed trained workers quickly because there was a large demand for the produced goods.
Towards the end of the 1800s, a method that combined the benefits of the classroom with the benefits of on-the-job training, called vestibule training, became a popular form of training. The classroom was located as close as conditions allowed to the department for which the workers were being trained. It was furnished with the same machines as used in production. There were normally six to ten workers per trainer, who were skilled workers or supervisors from the company.
There are many advantages of vestibule training. The workers are trained as if on the job, but it does not interfere with the more vital task of production. Transfer of skills and knowledge to the workplace is not required since the classroom is a model of the working environment. Classes are small so that the learners received immediate feedback and ask questions more easily than in a large classroom. Its main disadvantage is that it is quite expensive as it duplicates the production line and has a small learner to trainer ratio