F IDI AC A D E M Y Showing the way with training Todays candidates want to join and stay with employers who will define and provide pathways for professional and personal development - including high-quality training. Dominic Weaver speaks to leaders of some of the businesses who understand this well and, with in-person courses back on the calendar, sent staff members to learn, grow and network at the recent FIDI Academy Masters in Moving and Mobility programme held in Barcelona A Annika Roup, CEO of Scandinavian mover Alfa s shown elsewhere in this recruitment- and retention-themed issue of FIDI Focus, moving CEOs and recruiters cite personal and professional development as one of the top three must-have demands of employees today. In the current candidate-is-king jobs marketplace, companies that offer exciting opportunities for their staff to learn and grow stand a far better chance of attracting the calibre of employee they need and holding onto them. Those that do not are likely to find the recruitment process more difficult and could face losing existing workers too. Of course, training and other forms of development come at a price and usually require taking staff out of their day-to-day activities for some time too. However, savvy managers know that sending their staff on reputable, up-to-date training programmes can yield a return worth many, many times the initial investment. Annika Roup, CEO of Scandinavian mover Alfa, that sent two of its employees, George Kabasele and Herman Johansson, on the FIDI MiM2 (Masters in Moving and Mobility) course in Barcelona, says training like this is the companys way of investing in its most valuable assets. Our employees are the thing that make the biggest difference to our customers experience, so their knowledge and competence is key to our business, she says. Residential training allows them to focus on a theme, and with the physical distance from the office we believe that our staff also get new perspectives of their job and our business. Atlas International Movers, with headquarters in the Netherlands, also uses FIDI programmes to develop its workforce, and sent Ciska Pieterse on the Barcelona MiM2. Managing director Jan Koets says investing in its people is of the highest priority for the company. We want to invest in todays leaders and future 64 FF308 Dec-Jan 23 pp64-68 FIDIAcademy.indd 64 05/12/2022 17:15