In a previous century I learned to program using Roger Kaufman's "A FORTRAN Coloring Book". It uses a very similar technique (and style!). Here is a link to the internet archive: https://archive.org/stream/9780262610261
Blast from the past. I took his course. As I recall we actually had a mimeographed copy of the book although, now, I think I have the real book around somewhere. At the time, the joint computer facility still had an IBM 360 so you had to submit jobs via punch cards with very little CPU time leeway for coding errors or typos.
I credit 'A FORTRAN Coloring Book' with saving my first computing class, long, long ago. I bought it as a supplement to the textbook and lectures, as the lightbulb wasn't quite coming on for me through those. Among other things, the book taught me that getting a second perspective could sometimes be just what you need. I wound up acing the class... and finding a career. My copy sits in a place of honor on my bookshelf.
isn't it always "too late"? The fired employee would have to have a long pattern of problems. With the benefit of hindsight you'd know that you should have fired them after the first 5 or 10 problems.