What are some reinforcing consequences you can deliver either immediately following the desired behavior or following a work shift– things that this particular student enjoys, wants, seeks out, etc.?
In all likelihood, the student will be motivated to perform the work as long as your priming has emphasized the connection of this project or job to his long term goal. However, his resistance may be to the visual supports or to following the expected order of events on the schedule or to-do list. When possible, adjust the sequence of tasks so that a particularly difficult task (e.g. connecting a computer to the internet through a secured wireless network, or setting up a shared printer) is followed by a break initially. Can you adjust the sequence by getting permission from the supervisor to grant an additional water break after certain tasks, at least initially in training? Work with the student to identify appropriate break activities that will be motivating to him.
For some students who work in less structured settings and are learning self-management strategies, it is vital to teach them to arrange their work tasks in a way that sustains their own motivation (e.g. First I will do this task I don’t like, then I will do this task that I do like; I work best when I alternate between these kinds of tasks).
Are you using labeling and social praise to make the contingency between desired behavior and reinforcing consequence clear to the student?
In some cases, the student may try to seek out too much confirmation from supervisors and co-workers which may create tension on the site. The student may try to engage co-workers around his interests instead of following the expected tasks and steps. Consider scheduling predictable, specific times when someone will give feedback on performance or when he can talk with a specific co-worker about his areas of interest. Over time, the goal would be to fade out the frequency of that feedback or conversation time to a rate that aligns with what naturally occurs in a work site.
What reinforcing consequences can you arrange that are more naturally or intrinsically connected to the hard skill you are teaching?
Your encouragement of co-workers to naturally praise the student for his accomplishments and performance will be valuable. Finding ways to emphasize how the completed task helps the operation of the office, of the project or of the personnel in the setting should be a focus. You and others must ‘socially interpret’ how helpful the student is!