Tesco is bucking the trend and significantly increasing its investment in developing its staff though a beefed-up training schedule.
Over the next 12 months, Tesco will invest more than £3 million in developing senior managers and directors through the Tesco Academy, its internal centre for leadership and development.
This represents a 23 per cent increase on 2008 expenditure and marks one of the largest investments in senior team development within the retail sector.
The investment in leadership complements the training and development offered to Tesco staff at all levels across the business, from apprenticeships through to retail foundation degrees.
The supermarket’s objective is to maintain a supply of exceptional leaders for its business in the UK and internationally.
Peta Hay, director of the Tesco Academy, said: “We believe it is more important than ever to invest in our people as Tesco continues to expand both geographically and into new business sectors. Tesco has a proven track record of both nurturing internal talent and successfully attracting external senior executives.”
The Tesco Academy is seen as key to the business by ceo Sir Terry Leahy and the Tesco board. The flagship course is the Advanced Leadership Programme, which prepares individuals for director roles, offers sponsorship and mentoring and content as well as international sessions in Asia and Europe, and global networking.
The programmes aim to effectively share and accumulate the expertise of Tesco’s senior management.
Hay added: “Our investment in leadership development represents the largest investment of its kind in the retail sector and the Tesco Academy aims to develop leaders who have a vision that they can align the business behind and who live our values. This will ensure that, as the business continues to expand, our leaders have the capability to deliver the stretching targets set.”
The senior management and directors attending the Tesco Academy programmes over the coming year are selected from the wide range of business areas across Tesco’s global operations. Due to the scale and scope of roles within Tesco, leadership development is critical. The roles of those leaders attending the academy range from store managers and commercial buying managers to directors and chief executives.
No comments yet