Learning and Development Programmes
Our multi-year trainee programmes help develop talent in building surveying, engineering and general management. For example, Swire Hotels’ 18-month international operations management trainee programme provides wide-ranging exposure to hotel operations in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Miami, U.S.A.
Other learning and development programmes across the Company include:
- On-the-job training;
- internal job rotations;
- mentoring opportunities;
- secondments in other markets where we operate; and
- management and leadership training programmes.
Revamping our Trainee Programme
We nurture talent by ensuring that our trainees are properly familiarised with the Company and their role within it as early as possible. In September 2019, we launched a revamped trainee on-boarding programme which was designed to be more user-centric and maximise learning effectiveness.
The now-completed revamping process was divided into three phases:
Phase I:
Focus groups were held in which previous trainees shared their experiences and suggested how the trainee programme could be improved to facilitate a smoother transition from university to work.
Phase II:
Based on the focus group results, the department introductions, which are part of the trainee programme, were enhanced by adopting a more “story-telling” approach. Adjustments to job shadowing were also made and a trainee shadowing guidance booklet was prepared so that trainees and their host departments could better understand their respective roles and expectations.
Phase III:
Launch of the revamped trainee programme.
New Evaluation Framework for Learning and Development Programmes
We are developing a learning evaluation framework, with reference to the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model, to help us analyse and evaluate the impact of our different learning and development programmes.
We are also reviewing selected leadership training programmes such as the Achieving Excellence Programme. This is a two-year programme that aims to help our managers develop their careers through workshops focused on leadership and presentation skills, strategic thinking, fostering teamwork, and performance management.
We plan on adopting a multidimensional performance appraisal system (for example, a 360-degree feedback mechanism) so that we can gather feedback from individual employees on how our learning and development programmes have helped them in their career development and how these programmes have contributed to employee retention and the improvement of work efficiency.
Developing Talent through our Micro College
Last year, we introduced an e-learning training platform for our Mainland China employees to make our training programmes more accessible. This platform provides more than 1,000 mini-training modules that employees can access via personal computers and smartphones. In addition to enhancing our ability to track employee training and analyse their performance, this platform allows our employees to plan the training around their work schedules and earn reward points by registering online for training workshops.
We then launched the HKRI Taikoo Hui Micro College in September 2019, which offers courses designed to enhance the professional skills and personal and management capabilities of our employees in Shanghai. Learners are given “learning passports” which are stamped with points after they complete courses. They are also given access to information and learning materials in our regularly updated corporate e-library.
