Informal training

Informal training is casual and often unplanned learning that happens naturally at work, with no set goals or defined outcomes. Nobody designs a course or books a trainer: staff pick things up as they go.

How it happens

Informal training usually takes one of these forms:

• Watching an experienced colleague and copying what they do
• Receiving advice or tips during a shift
• Asking questions when you are unsure
• Learning by doing the job itself and making small adjustments as you go

For example, a new assistant in a bike repair shop might watch a senior mechanic adjust the gears on a customer's bike, ask why the cable tension was changed, then try the same job on the next bike with the mechanic nearby. No session was scheduled — the learning came from the work.

Advantages

• Low cost — no fees for trainers or courses, and no staff sent off site.
• Fast — a new starter can begin useful work on day one rather than waiting for a booked course.
• Fits around work — learning happens during quiet moments, so output barely drops.
• Builds teamwork — staff helping each other builds trust and communication.
• Closely related to the actual job — people practise exactly the tasks they will do, with the real equipment.

Risks

• Inconsistent — two colleagues may teach the task in two different ways, so quality varies between staff.
• Poor habits spread — a shortcut that is unsafe or wastes stock can be copied by the next person.
• No record — the business cannot show what an employee has learned or when.
• Gaps remain — nobody checks the full picture, so essential knowledge may never be covered.
• Depends on the colleague — if the person teaching is only average, the learner may never reach a good standard.

Informal training is still real training and can be very effective, but it works best alongside structured methods such as formal training when accuracy, safety or legal standards matter.