TABLE OF CONTENTS By the end of the chapter the reader should be able to:
Appreciate issues concerning training and learning
Reflect on learning cultures
Understand training needs analysis
Identify a variety of approaches to skills development including training, coaching, and mentoring
This chapter examines the nature of skills development on board. It is argued that training is both essential for operational effectiveness and continuous improvement and development, and, as such, can never be ignored. Training is often managed by the human resource (HR) department but, frequently, it is seen more broadly as an operational function. This implies that training plays a strategic role that is critical for achieving a brand's vision. Training seems to be inseparable from service quality: a company that seeks to achieve excellence in service quality must wholeheartedly embrace training as a key strategic activity.
The provision of training is an investment, and as such there is constant attention on outcomes and benefits, cost effectiveness, and value for money. However, while it is relatively easy to survey passenger feedback about services and to generate scores that reflect satisfaction levels, it can be difficult to measure the impact of training. It is tempting to ascribe changes to single factors, such as training, when the reality may involve a multiplicity of issues. However, training can mean the difference between satisfaction and dissatisfaction, stability and instability, risk and confidence, safety and danger, and profit and loss, and it is a brave or foolish organization that ignores these salient facts. By...
