On-the-Job Training: What is AFEST?

Training in workplace safety is no longer limited to a theoretical course or a simple evacuation drill. Companies must now embed the right reflexes in the field, as close as possible to real situations.

This is the whole point of the AFEST method (Action de Formation En Situation de Travail - On-the-Job Training Action), also called FEST (Formation En Situation de Travail - On-the-Job Training), which transforms the workstation into a true learning space.

By combining practice, observation, and guidance, AFEST establishes itself as a modern and compliant response to the Labor Code for effective safety training.

What is the AFEST or FEST method?

On-the-job training, also called AFEST or FEST, enables learning through practice in one's professional environment. Accompanied by a trainer or tutor, the employee develops skills from real work situations while benefiting from analysis and feedback.

According to the ANACT (National Agency for the Improvement of Working Conditions), this method is based on two complementary educational sequences:

a real situation where the employee learns by acting directly at their workstation,
followed by a reflective phase, during which they analyze their actions with a tutor or trainer to understand what was done and the lessons to be drawn.

This promotes rapid and lasting skill acquisition, as it combines immediate practice and guided reflection.

This method, validated following a national experiment conducted by the DGEFP, the FPSPP, Copanef, and the ANACT between 2014 and 2018, has been recognized since 2019 by the Labor Code as a fully-fledged training method.

The legal and institutional framework of AFEST

FEST is based on a clear legal framework that guarantees the quality and traceability of learning. It was introduced by the law of September 5, 2018 on the freedom to choose one's professional future and specified by decree no. 2018-1341 of December 28, 2018, which recognize on-the-job training as a fully-fledged method of continuing professional development.

The Labor Code (article D6313-3-2) establishes the four fundamental steps of the approach:

Analysis of the work activity to, where appropriate, adapt it for educational purposes;
Prior designation of a trainer who can perform a tutoring function;
Implementation of reflective phases, distinct from work situations and intended to use the lessons drawn from the work situation for educational purposes, which allow observing and analyzing the gaps between expectations, performance, and achievements of each situation to consolidate and make explicit the learning;
Specific assessments of learning outcomes that mark milestones or conclude the action.

Other articles complement this framework:

AFEST is part of a "pedagogical pathway enabling the achievement of a professional objective" (Art. L. 6313-2).
It requires "technical and human resources as well as pedagogical materials" (Art. R. 6313-1).
"Information relating to the organization of the pathway is made accessible by the provider, by any means, to the beneficiaries and funders concerned" (Art. R. 6313-2).
"The completion of the action must be substantiated by the provider through any form of evidence" (Art. R. 6313-3).

These obligations contribute to transforming a professional activity into concrete learning, while respecting the prevention and safety requirements set by the Labor Code.

🔗 Source: https://www.anact.fr/action-formation-situation-travail-afest

Why is the AFEST/FEST method particularly suited to workplace safety training?

Workplace safety is subject to specific regulatory obligations. The law requires (articles L4121-1, L4141-2, and R4141-3 of the Labor Code) that companies train their employees in the occupational risks related to their activity, through concrete, regular, and adapted actions.

The AFEST/FEST method integrates perfectly into these frameworks because it allows training employees directly at their actual workstation, with close support to assimilate the right gestures and reflexes in context, which facilitates memorization, retention, and application of safety instructions.

Result:

Better assimilation of safety instructions.
Reduction of workplace accidents.
Strengthening of the prevention culture within the company.

By integrating the reality of the workstation at the heart of training, the AFEST/FEST method not only meets legal obligations, it strengthens the performance and safety of teams in a lasting way.

Learning Anchored in the Reality of Work

AFEST transforms the professional environment into a concrete learning ground. By placing the employee in their real work situation, it eliminates the gap between theory and practice: there is no longer a need to imagine a scenario or transpose learning to their workstation, the employee learns directly in their operational context.

This promotes much stronger memory retention: gestures repeated in a familiar environment are better remembered and reproduced with confidence.

What are the concrete educational benefits?

Immediate and contextualized learning: the employee learns by doing, with the equipment and situations they encounter every day.
Lasting skill retention: gestural and visual memory is mobilized in a familiar setting.
Enhanced engagement: the learner feels like an active participant and finds purpose, as they directly see the meaning of their training.
Time savings and relevance: training is shorter, better targeted, and directly applicable.
Tutor development: the trainer becomes a field companion, facilitating progress.

What are the limitations and points of attention of FEST?

Essential prior analysis: not all activities are suitable for training; some require enhanced supervision or specific safety conditions.
Tutor training: the coaching and reflective analysis stance cannot be improvised.
Initial preparation time: diagnosis, identification of training situations, and formalization of the pathway.
High-risk environments: in sensitive settings (chemicals, energy, fire...), real-world scenarios must sometimes be replaced by immersive simulation (VR or AR).

Despite its many advantages, the AFEST method requires rigorous preparation to be effective. It cannot be improvised; each sequence must be planned, supervised, and guided by a professional trained in the reflective stance.

The 5 essential steps for implementing AFEST/FEST in prevention:

Identify training situations Select activities that present educational value: fire extinguisher handling, first aid gestures, evacuation, etc.
Set clear objectives Define the skills to be achieved: knowing how to react, adopting the right posture, alerting effectively. These objectives must be concrete and measurable.
Alternate action and reflection Each session must combine hands-on practice, reflective analysis, and assessment. This is the very principle of AFEST.
Support and evaluate The tutor observes, questions, and values progress. Observations and assessments constitute proof of the pathway and ensure traceability.
Secure the practice For high-risk occupations, favor immersive tools such as FIRE AR, which allow simulating emergency scenarios without danger while respecting the AFEST methodology.

Why FIRE AR is 100% compatible with the AFEST/FEST method

FIRE AR, our augmented reality fire simulator, perfectly embodies the spirit of the AFEST/FEST method. Because it enables learning through action, in a real setting, with reflective feedback. Thanks to augmented reality, trainees train directly in their work environment (factory, warehouse, office) without any danger.

Real situation: exercises take place in the usual workplace, with the same gestures and reflexes as in an emergency situation.
Right to make mistakes: augmented reality simulation allows learning from mistakes without risk or material constraints.
Post-action reflection and analysis: the trainer debriefs with the trainee, replays the scene, and identifies areas for improvement.

By combining realism, safety, and active pedagogy, FIRE AR makes AFEST even more effective for fire training.

Conclusion: FEST, an Optimal Learning Method for Prevention

AFEST (or FEST) is much more than a pedagogical method; it is a modern and pragmatic way of learning by doing directly in the field. It stands as an effective response to safety training needs, anchoring good reflexes in the reality of work.

Combined with immersive solutions such as FIRE AR, it brings together realism, safety, and pedagogical performance for risk-free training with lasting impact.

Furthermore, AFEST offers learners the right to make mistakes. An essential principle for progressing without fear, correcting actions, and building confidence in real situations.

Learn more about FIRE AR → FIRE AR page, augmented reality fire simulator Also consult our glossary on immersive learning

Learn more about IRWINO training modules

In a professional environment of over 200 m², including a kitchen, offices, or a meeting room, you can choose from over 18 different scenarios.

In a professional environment of over 200 m², including workshops, offices, or a storage area, you can choose from over 18 different scenarios.

In a hospital environment comprising 8 rooms, a break room, a kitchenette, and safety zones, respond to fire outbreaks, manage the fire safety system report, and evacuate patients.

Evacuation of a victim from a room on fire

The victim is choking

Care of a symptomatic person

The victim faints

The victim has been burned

Assault on a victim with an open wound

The victim has an epileptic seizure

The victim goes into cardiac arrest

The victim has a thoracic wound with heavy bleeding

The victim goes into cardiac arrest while carrying a heavy load

The victim is a child going into cardiac arrest