As new 4-H Youth Development professionals you enter the organization with diverse preparation experiences, thus many professionals are unclear what the skills, competencies, and expectations are to be successful in the organization. Onboarding is an opportunity for the organization to help you maximize your contributions while also learning our organizational culture.
4-H youth development professionals are at a high-risk of burnout. Contributing factors leading to departure include organizational factors, such as a lack of professional development opportunities and adequate training. Extension professionals experience many challenges, such as stress, long hours, and turnover. To prevent burnout and turnover we recognize training is important especially at the beginning of a career.
A systematic review of 4-H onboarding curriculum across the country was conducted to inform the development of a 4-H Extension professional onboarding process for county-based 4-H youth development professionals. As a result of this systematic review a blended approach to onboarding was adopted to facilitate technical knowledge, relationship building, and enhance understanding of organizational culture.