Training alone is not enough
How employers invest in people’s development
Access to courses is now standard practice in many organizations. The real value of a development policy lies in whether people can apply what they learn, move into new roles, deepen their specialization and prepare for new technologies. Drawing on Friendly Workplace assessments, we examine how large Polish and international employers turn investment in skills into concrete career opportunities.
Training is not yet development
A course catalog is only one part of a development policy. In our Friendly Workplace assessments, we ask who programs are designed for, what needs they address and what employees can do with their new skills. In practice, mobility between departments, mentoring, opportunities to work on new projects and managers’ involvement in development planning prove just as important.
An effective development policy connects employees’ aspirations with the organization’s goals. It may lead to deeper specialization, involvement in a project, new responsibilities or a change of career path. It will look different in a production plant than in a business services center. In both cases, what matters is relevance, accessibility, practical application and continuity.
From the training room to the project: Coca-Cola HBC and Genpact
Among Coca-Cola HBC Poland and the Baltic States’ most interesting development initiatives is the “Opportunity Marketplace.” On this international platform, managers post project needs and employees can volunteer for assignments beyond their day-to-day responsibilities. Its key value lies in the opportunity to gain experience by working with other teams and areas of the business.
In our assessment, we also noted “Learn Fest.” In its 2023 profile, the company reported more than five thousand participants in the program’s most recent edition, from across the group’s countries of operation. This level of interest underlines the importance of a culture of self-directed learning, driven by curiosity and by drawing on the knowledge available within the organization.
Genpact addresses a similar challenge, access to knowledge in a dispersed international organization, through its “Genome” platform. The model it describes combines personalized learning, short learning sessions, the exchange of experience and the practical application of skills. In our view, this is a valuable response to rapidly changing skill requirements, particularly in digital technologies.
What both examples share is a close link between learning, everyday work and new assignments.
Individual paths: Nestlé, Barry Callebaut and BGK
A strength of Nestlé Polska’s approach is the way its “People Cycle” connects with programs designed for different employee groups: “First Time Leaders EXPEDITION,” “People Partner Academy” and “Sales Talent Development.” The first supports people taking on their first management role, the second HR specialists and the third sales teams. In describing the last of these, the organization also gave examples of participants who had moved into new positions.
Information of this kind allows development to be seen in terms of career opportunities. Taking part in a program can become a step toward a new role, broader responsibilities or further specialization. The link between learning and internal career paths is an important part of our assessment.
Barry Callebaut SSC Europe uses individual development plans (IDPs) agreed between employees and their managers. The value of this model lies in linking conversations about goals with the planning of concrete actions. Combined with specialist and language training and learning platforms, IDPs create a structured framework of support.
Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK) distinguishes between expert and managerial career paths. This allows people whose greatest strength is their specialist knowledge to build a career, and recognizes their potential on a par with leadership skills.
Development in industry and construction follows its own logic
Discussions about future skills are often dominated by technology companies. Yet manufacturing and infrastructure employers face equally ambitious challenges: technical expertise, safety, standardization, new technologies and the transfer of experience between generations.
At the Budimex Group, we highlighted programs that address the needs of different career stages: “Akademia Młodego Inżyniera” (Young Engineer Academy), “Akademia Inżyniera” (Engineer Academy), “Akademia Przywództwa” (Leadership Academy) and “Murowany Sukces,” which supports women’s development. The strength of this approach is how closely it is tailored to the construction industry. Engineering skills require hands-on project work, the exchange of experience and the gradual assumption of responsibility.
At Michelin Polska, “TALENT CAMPUS” and “Technika z kobiecą energią” (Engineering with Women’s Energy) stand out. These programs combine skills development with broader career opportunities, including in specializations traditionally seen as less accessible to women. Their practical nature and their importance for equal opportunities in an industrial environment were key elements of our assessment.
At GATX Rail Poland, individual development plans, access to industry knowledge and international exchange of experience play a significant role. In the rail sector, technical skills are directly linked to quality, reliability and safety. The close alignment between the industry’s needs and employee development gives this approach particular value.
When assessing these programs, what matters most is their usefulness to employees in different roles. The number of training courses alone says little about the quality of development.
The knowledge is already there. It needs room to flow
Employees are often the best source of knowledge about their own organization. At PGE, we highlighted “Lunch&Learn,” an initiative launched in 2013 by people who wanted to share their experience and knowledge of the company. Its value lies in its grassroots character: employees take part both as learners and as contributors.
Henkel Polska develops mentoring and experience-sharing formats that complement formal training. This approach helps preserve specialist knowledge and build relationships across teams. It is also important to give employees the time and space to share their expertise.
The quality of such initiatives depends on a careful choice of topics, the involvement of internal experts and regularity. In our editorial assessments, we attach great importance to mechanisms that remain useful long after a single session has ended.
Leadership skills are built before and after promotion
A move into management brings new responsibilities: for the quality of feedback, resolving conflicts, developing the team and everyday decisions that affect people. That is why preparation for leadership and support for new managers play an important part in our assessment of development programs.
At the PZU Group, we highlighted the “Akademia neuro-przywództwa” (Neuro-Leadership Academy) and programs that develop managerial skills. At PGE, a notable example is “PROwadź z Energią” (Lead with Energy), aimed at current and future leaders. Henkel runs “New Leader Assimilation,” which helps a new manager and their team agree on how they will work together. T-Mobile Polska presented its WEGROW process, built on self-reflection, feedback and development conversations.
Leadership preparation shapes the quality of work across entire teams, which is why it is an important element in assessing a friendly working environment.
Future skills must be developed ahead of time
Technological transformation is changing tools, responsibilities and ways of working together. At ORLEN, one example is “Akademia AI” (AI Academy), which responds to the need to build knowledge of artificial intelligence. An important complement is “Women Forward,” a program that supports women’s career opportunities and the growth of their community within the organization.
Polpharma presented its “Talent UP!”, “IMPACT,” “START” and “KOMPAS” programs, designed for employees at different stages of their development. We see their value in creating diverse career paths and preparing people to take on new responsibilities.
In the face of technological change, employers can help employees acquire skills that will also serve them in future roles. This perspective complements traditional specialist training.
What the assessments show: development that opens doors
Five particularly valuable features recur across the practices we reviewed: a clear purpose, accessibility for different groups, the application of knowledge at work, a choice of paths and the continuous improvement of programs. Effective solutions should reflect employees’ real needs and the nature of the organization’s business.
Candidates can ask about examples of internal promotions, opportunities to change specialization, managers’ involvement in development planning and the time set aside for acquiring new skills. Employers can use the same questions as a starting point for assessing their own people policies.
The quality of a development policy is reflected in the opportunities it opens up for employees: gaining experience, broadening their specialization and taking on new professional challenges. Such solutions are an essential part of a mature, friendly working environment.
Sources: published Friendly Workplace editorial assessments and employer profiles on MarkaPracodawcy.pl. The practices and figures refer to the periods specified in those materials.
