Listen closely: "I haven't been trained on that."

In every role I've had - from paid work to parenthood - I find a simple, reliable indicator of initiative and engagement.

When asked to perform an unfamiliar task, a person's response can show engagement and initiative :
"I have an opportunity to learn that"

Or it can show a lack of engagement and initiative :
"I haven't been trained on that"

People who are engaged and show initiative are ready to go. Show them where to find the instructions. Give them good examples of the work to be done.

When you hear "I haven't been trained on that", though, listen closely. There's a problem in the way that training won't fix.