STRATEGIC TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Salman LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY

Points to be discussed

• Introduction• Business of Thomas Cook• Induction• Trainings and development Programs• Swot Analysis• Projects• Challenges • Impact • Conclusion

Thomas Cook Group• Thomas cook was born in 1808 in England

• Founder of travel agency (Thomas Cook Group)

• One of largest leisure travel group in the world, and second in UK in 2007

• Products: Package holidays

• Revenue: £8.890 billion

• Key people: Michael Beckett (Chairman) Sam Weihagen (Interim CEO) Paul Hollingworth (CFO)

Case

• One of the largest travel group in the world

• Second in UK in 2007

• Thomas cook’s key to success are its people

• Focus on the training and development

• Value of investing in T&D

• Benefits from the T&D Programme

Working overseas for Thomas Cook

• 1666 people in Thomas Cook overseas resort

• Job range from frontline to manager in resort

• Moveable workers

• T&D as a key tool

Induction

• 8 days induction program from day first

• As a residential course in UK

• Focus on the basic skills and behaviour need to be a Thomas Cook representative in the resorts

• Then after joining again 6 – 12 days training to apply their knowledge

Values of Thomas Cook

• Pioneering our future• Results Oriented• Obsessed with customer service• United as one team• Driving robust decision

Induction courses and management training programme

• L&D Online, a web-based platform that delivers a wide variety

of training packages to Thomas Cook UK staff.

• The Thomas Cook Academy, also in the UK, which consists of a

variety of courses specifically designed to meet our company's

needs.

• A suite of 40 e-learning courses for our North American

employees, including modules on delivering the best customer

service

Contd…..

• Training in anti-corruption procedures, backed up by policies provided on our intranet

• Our Way, a leadership development programme run by Thomas Cook Northern

Europe

• Our exclusive Diploma in Leadership and Management, which we run in-house,

having been accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management

• Talent Circle, a development programme for around 150 interns per year at Thomas

Cook Germany

• Fast-track, our scheme that prepares employees for their next level of promotion

Source: www.thomascook.in

Training and development Program

• People are differentiation factor

• Staffs are offered range of the development opportunity

• STARS: (Senior Training and Recognition Scheme)

• Stars has Three levels and provide the training opportunities for the staffs that is linked to career progression

Overseas Management Development Programme

• Following the STARS programme, managers with a degree of experience

are eligible to apply for the Overseas Management Development

Programme (MODP)

• Operational Module:

• Management and leadership modules:

Benefits of T&D Programme

• STARS provides a clear career progression route for the employees

• Great learning with different department’s people

• Retention• Developed management style and skills• Decision making • Know the colleagues as well

SWOT ANALYSIS

Strength Weakness

• Managing the workforce

• Remoteness of the workforce

• Costs involved in bringing the employees back to UK

• employees can lead and manage teams of people in resort

• operational updates and management opportunities

• Increases the knowledge of the wider business.

• leadership module help in improving the management style of the employees

Contd…

Opportunities Threats• Competitors easily copy the

strategies• Hidden costs

• select permanent trainers and others can focus on core operations

• every manager overseas has the opportunity to attend

• consistent language• knowledge management• A developed set of

managers.

Conclusion

“The positive benefits of the training programmes at Thomas Cook (STARS ,OMDP) outweighs the level of

costs incurred”