On-the-job training: definition, benefits and the AFEST framework
On-the-job training (OJT) is learning that happens while doing the actual work, next to a more experienced colleague, rather than in a classroom. It is one of the oldest ways to pass on a skill, and what makes it reliable is structure: clear objectives, a trained coach, time to reflect, and a way to check what was learned. France has written this structured approach into law. The AFEST (Action de Formation En Situation de Travail, literally training action in a work situation) has been recognized as a formal training action since 2018, and it can be funded as such if it meets 4 cumulative requirements set by decree:
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analysis of the work activity,
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a designated trainer-tutor,
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sequences alternating real work and reflective review,
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formal assessment.
Without these 4 requirements, it is on-the-job learning in the broad sense but not an AFEST in the legal sense, and the French skills operator (OPCO) can refuse to fund it.
This guide explains what on-the-job training means, how structured OJT differs from shadowing and informal tutoring, how the French AFEST framework works (legal basis, 3 phases, cost and funding), and how to set up a program that holds up in practice.
1. OJT, structured OJT and AFEST: the differences
On-the-job training is a broad label, so it helps to separate what it covers. International bodies such as Cedefop, the ILO, the OECD and UNESCO group it under work-based learning: all forms of learning that occur in a real work environment, alongside apprenticeships and internships. Within that family, four notions are often mixed up:
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Informal on-the-job training (shadowing, learning on the job): a more experienced colleague shows a new hire how to do the task. It has always worked, but quality depends on who coaches, little is recorded, and in France it has no legal existence as a training action, so it is not eligible for funding.
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Structured on-the-job training (SOJT): the same learning at work, with a plan. The skills needed are identified in advance, the learning is directed and tracked, and the results are confirmed. The idea goes back to Training Within Industry (TWI), the US program created during World War II to train new workers fast, and was later popularized by researchers such as Ron Jacobs. Toyota still uses TWI's Job Instruction method (prepare, present, try out, follow up) to train its team leaders.
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FEST (Formation En Situation de Travail, without the "A" for Action): the French name for the same pedagogical idea, learning in a real situation, without being tied to a formal training action under the Labour Code. Companies often choose it to structure know-how transfer without seeking funding.
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AFEST (Action de Formation En Situation de Travail): the French, legally defined form of structured on-the-job training. It is a full training action, subject to the same obligations as a classroom course or e-learning: structured program, defined objectives, traceability, assessment. This formalization is what makes it eligible for funding and defensible in an audit.
2. The legal framework behind the AFEST
The AFEST was recognized by the French law of 5 September 2018 on the freedom to choose one's professional future (the "Avenir professionnel" law). It amended article L6313-2 of the Labour Code, which defines a training action as a learning pathway designed to reach a professional objective, and which may be carried out in a work situation.
Decree no. 2018-1341 of 28 December 2018 then set the requirements for an action in a work situation to qualify as an AFEST. It is this decree, more than the law itself, that sets the 4 points detailed below.
France did not start from scratch. Learning at work was tested for several years before becoming law, with experiments led from 2012 by the association Entreprise & Personnel and, from 2015, by the labour ministry's training department (DGEFP), including a large deployment at the grid operator Enedis from 2016.
3. The 4 requirements that set an AFEST apart from informal tutoring
For an on-the-job training action to qualify as an AFEST, 4 points must be met at the same time (article D6313-3-2 of the Labour Code). They are not options: missing a single one can be enough for the action to be reclassified.
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Analysis of the work activity, to identify what can be learned in a real situation and, if needed, adapt the workstation so it becomes a learning context.
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A designated trainer able to act as a tutor, responsible for supporting the learner on both the task itself and the thinking that goes with it. The training of this AFEST referent can be provided in-house or by a specialist organization.
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Reflective sequences, separate from the work situation itself, where the learner steps back with the coach to review what was just done.
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Assessments during or at the end of the action, measuring the skills acquired against the objectives set at the start.
4. The 3 phases of an AFEST in practice
In the field, an AFEST is built around 3 steps that repeat throughout the learning path:
1. The work situation, where the learner performs real tasks at the workstation, guided by their referent.
2. The reflective phase, where learner and coach go back over what was just done, what worked and what could be improved.
3. The assessment, which measures progress against the targeted skills and feeds the next steps of the learning path.
5. How long does an AFEST take?
There is no fixed legal duration: it depends on the skills targeted and on each employee's learning pace. A full deployment, from the initial positioning to the final assessment, runs from several hours to several days or even weeks, the time needed to appoint a referent, build the learning situations and the learning path, and chain enough sequences to cover the targeted skills. The number of skills, the number of reflective phases and the total duration need to stay in balanced proportion, especially when the action is presented to a funder.
6. Benefits of the AFEST for companies and employees
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Learning that applies immediately: skills are developed on the real activity of the job, which reduces the gap between what is learned and what is useful day to day. This is the logic behind the often-quoted 70-20-10 model, born from research at the Center for Creative Leadership in the 1980s, which holds that most learning comes from job experience (treat its ratios as a guideline, not a rule).
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No production stop: no room to book, no travel, the employee learns while working.
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Recognition of in-house expertise: subject-matter experts become trainers, which strengthens their engagement as much as the learner's.
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A response to hiring difficulties: it lets you train an unqualified profile quickly on a specific task, instead of waiting for an already experienced candidate. The Couach shipyard, for example, trained people far from the job market as composite-materials operators and naval mechanics.
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Traceability that opens funding: well documented, an AFEST can become eligible for coverage by an OPCO, whereas informal tutoring never is.
7. Limits of the AFEST: what to anticipate
The AFEST is not a universal solution, and it draws on internal resources, not only money. Research is also still thin: the main French study, at the grid operator Enedis between 2013 and 2017, followed 21 learners and found most of them engaged, but it covered a single company.
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Solid preparation upfront: analysis of the work activity, appointment of the referent, detailed specification. Without this step, the action risks being reclassified.
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Real availability of the referent, including during the reflective phases: an actual cost, even with no external training invoice.
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Not every job is suited: some activities leave little room for error (safety, regulatory compliance). The AFEST then needs to be complemented by classroom training.
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Documentation to maintain over time: without up-to-date proof of learning, funding can be refused even if the training did take place in the field. This is precisely what Daylindo automates (see below).
8. Cost and pay: what it means in practice
There is no fixed price: the cost depends mainly on the time spent by the referent and the learner, and on whether you use external support to design and deploy the learning path. Part of it can be covered by an OPCO (the sector-based skills operators that manage training funds in France), under the conditions described below.
Because an AFEST takes place at the workstation, the employee keeps their usual pay during the work sequences and the reflective phases alike, since this is genuine professional activity, not off-the-job training. The same logic holds anywhere: the real cost of on-the-job training is coaching time, not a training invoice.
9. How to get OPCO funding
In France, training funds are managed by sector-based bodies called OPCOs (opérateurs de compétences). Funding is generally not automatic: the learning path must meet the 4 legal requirements seen above, and the process must be documented, in particular through an Individual Training Protocol (Protocole Individuel de Formation, PIF) signed by the organization, the learner and the referent, together with proof of attendance. The formalities depend on each OPCO.
Depending on the sector, support can cover instructional design, referent training, external coaching and sometimes the reflective phases.
GOOD TO KNOW
OPCO funding rules change regularly by sector and by agreement. Always check the current conditions with your OPCO before building a funding file.
Outside France, the AFEST framework does not apply as such, but its four building blocks work as a quality checklist for any structured on-the-job program. Last reviewed: October 2026.
WHAT DAYLINDO BRINGS
Daylindo is the leading platform for structuring, deploying and tracking the AFEST.
Daylindo structures your frameworks of job tasks with your in-house experts, equips your field coaches with a mobile and web app that guides assessment in real situations, and automatically generates the time-stamped evidence an AFEST needs for traceability (action sheet, assessments, individual protocol).
Your programs meet the 4 legal requirements and are ready for your OPCO, without the extra paperwork.
Beyond compliance, a well-structured AFEST with Daylindo secures your critical skills and reduces early turnover: onboarding built on tracked and assessed sequences brings new employees up to speed faster and keeps them longer than informal tutoring.
Key takeaways
The AFEST gives a solid legal framework to recognize a practice that already exists widely in the field: learning by doing. But it requires real formalization, otherwise the action risks being reclassified. Structuring your frameworks, appointing and equipping your coaches, and documenting each step are the prerequisites of an AFEST that holds up, both pedagogically and legally.
If you work outside France, the lesson is the same: on-the-job training delivers the most when it is planned, coached, reflected on and assessed, not left to chance.
FAQ
What is an AFEST exactly?
A training action recognized by the French Labour Code that takes place directly at the workstation, provided it meets 4 cumulative legal requirements. It is the French form of structured on-the-job training.
AFEST or on-the-job training: what is the difference?
On-the-job training is the broad term for learning while doing real work. The AFEST is the French, legally defined version: it must meet 4 requirements to qualify as a training action and open funding. The FEST follows the same logic without being a formal training action.
Since when is the AFEST recognized?
Since the Avenir professionnel law of 5 September 2018 (the French law on the freedom to choose one's professional future), clarified by decree no. 2018-1341 of 28 December 2018.
What are its main benefits?
Learning that applies immediately, no production stop, and traceability that opens funding that informal tutoring never gets.
And its limits?
Demanding preparation upfront, a real cost in referent availability, and jobs that leave little room for error.
How long does it take?
No fixed legal duration, generally from several weeks to a few months depending on the targeted skills.
Who can be the referent?
An experienced employee in the job concerned, trained in coaching, in-house or through a specialist provider.
Is the employee paid during an AFEST?
Yes: it is actual working time, so the usual pay is maintained.