Simulation-Based Training and Realistic Job Previews (RJPs): Mechanisms, Evidence, and Organizational Implications

Job preparation, engagement, and retention are crucial processes for retaining and supporting a quality workforce, and realistic job previews (RJPs), along with simulation-based training, play a crucial role in this process. In this paper, we bring together four sources of literature to review the translation of experiential and simulation-based training into tangible positive outcomes for organizations, most notably employee retention. This paper, relying on the foundational thinking of Kolb's (1984) experiential learning cycle, Issenberg et al.'s (2005) review of the features of high-fidelity simulation training programs, Jun and Eckardt's (2023) social exchange perspective on training and turnover, as well as Albtoosh, Ngah, & Yusoff's (2022) meta-analytic findings, demonstrates that high-quality simulation-based training not only enhances skill attainment but also fosters organizational identification and lower voluntary turnover. Research shows that quality training and development (with its features of feedback, repetition, variability, and integration) is a more important driver of turnover than quantity. By providing employees with structured simulation-based onboarding and real job previews, employers are likely to foster psychological readiness, loyalty, and retention among employees. The findings have implications for human resource strategies, training for industrial safety, and within other industries.