training/education or experience?

Personally I am a big fan of experience over education. Many new jobs are hectic when thrown into the mix but as time goes on you tend to get a feel for the job and begin to feel more comfortable in the situation, this tends to make you a better employee.
I am a freshman this year and happened to land a job at the NOC. my first few shifts ended up being placed right during the sizzler hours which many of you many know can get pretty crazy. At first I thought I was done for and would never remeber everything to do, but once the first break in the action came I had a pretty solid understanding of the work I needed to do. Granted, the prior training I went through prepared me with the knowledge to complete all the tasks I was assigned.
Overall, experience gave me the boost of confidence i needed to strive while the education would have kept me as a basic employee.

What makes an employee special, or stand out to a business and how can they seperate themselves from the rest of the pack?