head office - learning & development
Learning and development in Head Office is ongoing and delivered in a variety of ways.
Competency Based Learning
Within most functions i.e. Buying, Merchandising, Distribution, Technical Services and Design, on the job training is competency based. Competencies clarify what's expected of you at each level so that you can perform to the best of your ability. The competencies are spilt into Technical Skills, which outline the job role in detail and Behavioural Skills, which describe the way in which you are expected to operate. These performance standards provide a framework, together with continuous assessment, which allows you to create your own development plan through which you can actively manage your career.
On the Job Learning
Every day, you'll work alongside established and experienced members of the team in the business, offering fantastic opportunities to learn and develop. You're responsible for driving your own development and to do this, a number of opportunities are available. These opportunities include regular reviews, annual appraisals and support from your line manager.
Although we want you to use your own initiative to get the most out of the opportunities on offer, this is a partnership. We'll give you every chance to make the most of your skills; it's down to you to take them.
Workshops and Self-Directed Learning
Our Management Development team offer a range of workshops and self-directed learning courses. Nominations for courses are requested from all Head office and Store Management staff. These workshops and courses run over one or two days and are aimed towards allowing individuals to address development needs identified from competency booklets and personal reviews.
Further specific team and training days are also organised within the brands throughout the year, again depending on development needs.
Formal Learning
Arcadia provides a wide range of development tools and learning opportunities delivered in a variety of ways:
- Self directed workshops
- Formal training courses
- Buddying
- On-line learning
- Coaching and mentoring
- Seminar Development Centres
- Books, tapes and videos
- One to one coaching
These events focus on both specialist and generalist skills relevant to your own personal development needs in the workplace.
Technical and Systems Learning
For those joining Head office functions, especially at entry level, a suite of technical and systems related courses designed to cover all aspects of the systems you will be using will be provided.
In addition to this, our Learning Resource centre offers the chance to brush up on your PC skills, with many self-teaching courses available on a huge variety of PC based packages, including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Lotus Notes and Acrobat Reader to name a few.
