22 of our future leaders have graduated from the 2023/2024 Talent Academy.
Our Talent Academy is an annual leadership development programme run in-house comprising of 22 employees tipped to become future successors. Open to all our people, the group is selected based on a mix of self-nominations and management recommendations.
2023’s cohort started in March, forming a year-long working group of talented individuals who received targeted learning and development, allowing them to work with departments they might not otherwise get a chance to experience. It also supports our own internal development and succession requirements, as we are retaining and nurturing the most talented people in our industry.
Meeting once a quarter face-to-face, every session hosts different guests to give an insight into their role, career and opportunities for development. The team also utilises employee feedback to structure the course.
Guest speakers have come from Business Continuity Planning, Auditing, Change Management, Finance and Information Security, Account Management and Sales. From understanding our customers’ wants and needs through to real-life business continuity scenarios, getting to grips with cyber awareness and commercial partnerships, students have a bitesize introduction into how a business travel agency operates.
Students have also been offered job shadowing opportunities internally, as well as externally with partners, like Lime Venues, so they can get an idea of potential future goals and the impact they can make on the success of the business and industry.
In between face-to-face sessions, students are given learning days specifically tailored to them and their goals, whether it be developing their interview skills or communication styles. They are also allocated mentors and coaching by senior leaders around the business.
“The Talent Academy has been put in place to develop our future leaders, SMEs and successors, while giving them the skills they need to grow within the business, strengthening the business from the inside out. Without the Talent Academy, it would be more challenging for people to get this behind-the-scenes exposure to areas of the business they don’t deal with day-to-day,” explained our Head of Internal Experience, Andrew Pearce.
“Not only does it allow for a more collaborative working environment, but the skills and insight learnt can give them the edge in their next interview. It can give them the tools, confidence and knowledge to not only succeed in their role, but create opportunities for themselves. In fact, 100% of previous graduates have gone on to further their career in other positions.”
“We saw such an increase in applications that we had to expand this year’s intake. We are building on the course content all the time, using our employee feedback, making the most of the diversity in the team and the external relationships.”
All graduates will receive certification and record of achievement.