Soft skills are at a premium
as companies look to develop staff capability. Claire Hack
reports.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Spend on staff training is expected
to increase during 2011 as leasing companies start to grow and to
develop their future strategies.
A total 37% of lessors will spend
more on training this year than last, the latest research from
consultancy Invigors found (see Business confidence warms
up).
Patrick Seassau, international
director of Paris-headquartered First Finance, which provides
training to a broad spectrum of financial institutions, said
enquiries increased during January.
“It is still early days, but from
what we have seen in the last quarter of 2010 and from what we have
received in terms of queries in January, it has been much more than
in the last couple of years,” he said.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalData“It is quite varied, but graduate
programmes are back. These are all-round courses for newcomers at
the foundation or intermediate level.”
After a dip in spending following
the financial crisis in 2008, outlay on training gradually returned
during 2010 particularly for programmes focused on risk management
skills.
Seassau expected a rise in demand
of up to 20% this year for coaching in soft skills such as
management and leadership, as institutions seek to avoid repeating
past mistakes.
“The financial crisis seemed to
have been due largely to a deficiency in management skills,” he
said.
“Typically, in financial
institutions, if you are a good producer, you will get promoted.
But management skills may be lacking and there is a realisation
that these skills exist and they are useful,” Seassau added.
This trend is visible at companies
such as UniCredit Leasing, Barclays Corporate and IBM Global
Financing, all of which offer graduate training schemes that focus
on developing management skills.
Alick Mulhall, co-founder of
training provider Mulhall and Willingham, witnessed training being
cut back to the bone during the recession, adding that hard skills
are still relevant.
“Nobody has wanted to train very
much at all, but there have been a few, and those have been more
hard skills than soft skills,” Mulhall said.
Growth at asset finance houses as
they continue to recover from the financial crisis during 2011 is
likely also to result in a need for more basic training.
“New people are slowly coming into
the business and they need to be trained with asset finance
skills,” Mulhall said.
“They need to know the difference
between hire purchase and a loan. It is very basic.”
Seassau added that banking has
fallen behind the times in using coaching techniques to develop
pro-activity among staff.
He said: “Coaching can help people
to be more efficient, more proactive and more productive – that is
my personal opinion and it is something we’re seeing more and more
of.
“It is a trend we have seen over
the last four or five years,” he said.
For more on training, see Leasing
Life’s Future Leaders special supplement with this
edition, and sign up to attend the Future Leaders in Leasing
webinar on 10 March. Details on www.leasinglife.com.
