The FINANCIAL — Out of the 30 leading Georgian companies approached by The FINANCIAL, only five provided information on their policy of corporate learning. Sales, management, risk and time management, and service quality are the main areas of L&D spending by companies. Establishing one’s own learning academies is gaining popularity among Georgian businesses. In addition, there is only one company that also covers the tuition fees for the Master’s Programmes of its employees in Georgia and abroad.
Leading Georgian companies from banking and finance, mobile, insurance and pharmacy industries were asked to provide their corporate training policy for employees. Out of 30 businesses, only five – MFO Credo, MFO Crystal, Bank of Georgia, ProCredit Bank Georgia and Wissol Group – provided the information requested.
37% of the employees of ProCredit Bank Georgia underwent appropriate training in 2015. Corporate learning cost the company over GEL 2 million. This year the Bank plans to increase the intensity of its trainings. Within this framework over 45-55% of workers will undergo vocational training. The budget for the current year will be the same as that of the previous year – over GEL 2 million.
In the case of Bank of Georgia, the share of trained workers measured over 60% in 2015. In 2016 the Bank plans to train over 55%.
MFO Crystal trained 229 staff members in various fields during 2015. In addition, some of these employees attended more than one training so the whole number totalled 358.
This year Crystal plans to train 640 employees. The budget for employee training at Crystal totalled GEL 143,676 in 2015. This year’s budget will reach GEL 287,637.
948 employees (or 53% of workers) of MFO Credo underwent professional training in 2015. In 2016 Credo will continue investing in studying and the development of new or existing employees. The company plans to train 40% of its staff members.
The number of trained employees of Wissol Group will reach 3,500 this year. The number was the same in 2015.
The top training topics that companies spend on are as follows: sales, management and service.
Basic training courses are held at ProCredit Group Academy. “Among them are courses for mid-management training; seminars for the employees of specific professions: risks, marketing, and human resources. We also cooperate with external training suppliers for IT training. Relevant trainings are arranged for employees involved in customer service. The Bank pays big attention to the English language skills of its workers. Accordingly, our employees undergo training at the English Language Centres of ProCredit Bank in Germany and Macedonia,” Natia Tkhilaishvili, Member of the Extended Management Board at JSC ProCredit Bank Georgia, told The FINANCIAL.
ProCredit Bank Academies are located in Macedonia and Germany. Accordingly, the main part of training is made up by these countries. Over 80% of employees that underwent training in 2015 were trained abroad. According to Tkhilaishvili, undergoing training in these academies is obligatory for mid-level managers, also for employees who are at a certain stage on the salary scale. In addition to the essential requirement, selected winners of the domestic competition can continue to study at the regional Academy of Macedonia.
Like ProCredit Bank, MFO Credo has established its own learning academy. Trainings for employees are provided at the training centre of the company, as well as at local external providers and various training programmes abroad. In addition to Credo Academy, for years the company has been cooperating with business schools and the best training centres of Georgia. Credo Academy has developed more than 10 in-house training programmes, which are designed for employees of all levels, including training courses for practitioners; a programme of managers’ development; intensive course of financial analysis; and, work and time management in-house training.
“Credo Academy has evolved a Development Program for Managers, which is a Georgian version of the programme of our partner, German consulting company. This programme is for mid-level managers. The managers pass programmes comprised of 5 modules over the course of one and a half years. Training topics include critical fields of management: financial analysis; leadership skills; risk management and analysis; banking products; HR topics, etc,” said Natia Mikhanashvili, Human Resource Manager at Credo.
According to Mikhanashvili, the company pays big attention to intern loan officers’ training. “A special ten-day programme has been designed for them. It combines the three most important obligatory trainings. Employees will not be able to move to a probation period without attending this programme and passing the required tests.”
Credo Academy has training mostly in three fields: sales, management and finance. All these directions are of strategic importance to the company and almost every employee. Time management training has been one of the most popular among the employees of Credo in 2016.
Credo has three training centres – in Tbilisi, Gurjaani, Kakheti, and Samtredia, Imereti. Training is mainly conducted in Tbilisi, on the Credo Academy campus. Participants coming from the regions have the possibility to be accommodated there for free.
“Our employees of managerial level have an opportunity to take professional development courses abroad. For years we have been fully financing international trainings. Mid and upper level management get education in such countries as Germany, the USA, Italy, Holland, France, Singapore and England. The planning of training and development of each employee is maintained at the beginning of the year. The budget is allocated accordingly. The planning process is scheduled in accordance with the analysis of the exact position, the will of the employee, and the recommendation of his/her direct manager,” said Mikhanashvili.
According to Malkhaz Dzadzua, CEO and Director General at MFO Crystal, the most prioritized fields of trainings for employees have been: IT management, security, service quality, sales, financial analysis, operational risk management and project management.
“We use internal and external training mostly in Georgia. We also have several precedents of sending high-ranking employees of ours abroad for training and learning,” said Dzadzua.
Crystal currently employs 561 staff members.
Together with specific technical topics, the main topics of training for the workers of Bank of Georgia incorporate: effective communication; negotiations; presentation; sales; management and leadership; and time management. Participation in the training is planned in line with the individual development plan of the worker, as well as ongoing and future projects and business processes.
Bank of Georgia has an internal training system that provides the development of specific job-related knowledge and skills. The company also works with various local and foreign training centres, by sending its employees for training and also by inviting trainers. From foreign training centres the Bank mostly cooperates with courses arranged by European and US companies.
Wissol Group established its Academy in 2011. Training topics are diversified in accordance with the specific work of the employee. The main areas of training of Wissol Petroleum’s operational level staff have been: fire safety, primary assistance, and customer service.
The employees of Smart and Wendy’s attend: welcome trainings, sales, service, human capital, management, excel and other topic training.
The main share of trainings is provided by Wissol Academy. There are examples of training local staff abroad. Like when the company was bringing Wendy’s and DD to Georgia, managers were sent to the USA for several months.
MFO Credo was the only company that said it covers the tuition fees of its employees undertaking Master’s Programmes.
“For 10 years Credo has been financing Master’s Programmes at local and foreign universities for its motivated and development-oriented employees. Mid-level managers, including branch managers, regional managers and managers of various departments at head office, are allowed to send us covering letters requesting a scholarship for a Master’s Programme. A decision is then made by a specially created committee. After graduation, managers approach their work more responsibly, achieve more success and contribute to the development of Credo,” said Mikhanashvili.
Credo provides scholarships at local as well as foreign universities. “Our main requirement during funding is the high estimation of the employee during the studying process,” said Mikhanashvili.
During 2015, 6 mid-level employees of Credo received funding for their Master’s Programmes.
The number of staff employees at Credo exceeds 1,700.
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