Connecting Africa’s Skilled Professionals
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A global technology services company working in 100 countries draws its recruits from a wide range of nationalities and the ability for its employees to adapt and function effectively within a culturally diverse workplace is a critical requirement.
Because of the nature of job roles within the company, the need for good internal communication, proactivity, confidence, team playing, cultural adaptability and personal management skills are critical.
While technical and health and safety training are strongly emphasised in the company’s induction training, there has been less focus on developing soft skills among its recruits. The lower retention rates for employees recruited from West Africa suggest that there are areas in which the training process could be strengthened to enable these employees to enjoy a long-term career with the company.
The skills of communicating, negotiating and motivating are often the hardest to acquire and, consequently, the importance of soft skills training for entry-level employees moving into the world of work cannot be overstated.
Interims for Development structured a 4-week assignment to be undertaken by an Interim with training expertise. The assignment was structured to build in time for the Trainer to understand the jobs involved, the company’s working culture and to observe the technical training courses, gaining a knowledge and insight into the recruits and the skills needed by the recruits to succeed. During the third week, the Interim would run the ‘Soft Skills Training for the World of Work’ Workshop, after which a round table with selected managers would be held to provide feedback on the Workshop.
The result was a training programme ‘fit for purpose’ that will increase business productivity by enabling the recruits to recognise and clarify their own priorities, recognise how their attitudes and behaviour affect themselves and others and renew their motivation to achieve their individual and organisational goals.
The personal development tools that the recruits receive will enable them to embark with more confidence on a career within the company as they learn skills to work with their colleagues in the multicultural workplace that is integral to the business.
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