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Vietnamese Many organisations nowadays offer some forms of internship and management trainee programs in order to prepare their top trainees for the management positions in the future. Big names like Unilever, Coca-Cola and Amazon are also famous for their Management Trainee (MT) programs. With proper training and development for each individual, the company may be looking at their future leaders when they are still in their “infant stage”.
Read more: What is Talent Management?
Management trainee program vs. Internship, what’s the difference?
First, what is an MT program? The number of trainees got hired for a specific MT program will vary from company to company. But basically, a group of trainees is formed to work under the supervision of an experienced manager. Their job is to learn about every aspect of their daily operation. After a designated timeframe, they are rotated to a different function and continue their process of training. Thus, this sparks the first difference between an intern and a management trainee.
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The continuous training and management feedback are integral parts of their program. They are frequently evaluated and given feedback by each team’s manager along the way. Upon completing their program, the trainees are expected to understand every aspect of the business.
From the definition above, you can expect that the MT program would last much longer than a normal internship. An internship usually takes a semester or a summer to complete but some MT programs can last for years and require a full-time commitment.
Furthermore, a trainee will get paid during the MT program based on their level. On the other hand, an internship tends to be unpaid, or very minimal pay, in addition to college credits.
Read more: 3 reasons why having management feedback is important
Is it necessary to have a management trainee program?
Not everybody was born a leader, but managerial skills can be learned and developed. Therefore, in order to ensure your company always have on hand an abundant number of quality managers, management trainee program is the obvious answer, and it also provides a good succession planning and improves morale.
The traineeship programs of Coca-Cola and Amazon attract tons of applications every year, not only because of their fame in their respective industries but also because their programs are specifically tailored with a purpose in mind.
Joining Coca-Cola and Amazon MT programs means that the trainees need to be strong and be ready to tackle anything that is thrown their way. At the same time, the programs put the trainees at the focal point, and the high-performing ones are acknowledged. Though intense, the programs also help Coca-Cola and Amazon to acquire high-quality talents.
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Whether your organisation plans to build an MT program or not, there are three prominent benefits that the program brings that you should take into account:
1. Reduce recruiting expenses
The trainees have the chance the rotate around. If they decide to stick with your company long-term, they are used to the way the company operates. They know how other departments function; therefore, the time requires to resolve conflict is lessened. The company also saves time and resources in constantly recruiting people to fulfil various roles.
2. Well trained staff with diverse skills
A trainee is exposed to all facets of the business, from customer service to human resources, from support to operations. Even with limited time, the trainee would know the basic of every responsibility of each department. Therefore, they are more flexible and have more diverse skill sets.
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3. Streamline your organisation’s developmental plan
A good MT program needs a clear developmental plan that details the trainee’s progression opportunities, their continuous training courses with frequently scheduled time for management feedback. This practice can be applied to developing your other permanent employees as anyone wants to know the future with their current employers. By letting your employees know you have carefully crafted a path for them, they are more like to stay around for much longer.
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