Many organisations have been successfully cultivating high-quality future leaders through their management trainee programs. The programs not only provide immense credibility and experience to the trainees but they also have certain positive impacts on the organisation. And a well thought out management trainee program can guarantee to give your business a better head start over the competitors by having a well-trained team.

Read more: Finding your star leaders with management trainee program

Management trainee programs that work

Let’s take a look at the examples from CIMB, Coca-Cola and Amazon and how their trainee programs are successful.

Operation Management Trainee (Amazon)

We all know Amazon as one of the biggest online retailers and cloud service providers. Being the best in the field, they are in constant need of high-performing, top quality talents in order to handle the overwhelming business transactions and promises for on-time delivery on a daily basis.

The Amazon's Operation Management Trainee incorporates these daily elements in order to push the trainees to develop strong practical and technical skills under pressure.

Once admitted into the program, the trainees need to be ready for pretty much anything thrown their ways. They will also have the opportunity to work in the world's largest retail market, China.

In conjunction with real-life experience, the trainees are also taught various skills in order to make them a well-rounded leader in the future. The training curriculum includes lean management, the 6 Sigma theory, and operational principles.

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The program might come off as "extreme" and the trainees will certainly be facing constant stress, new challenges and long working hours. But Amazon firmly believes that if the trainees successfully complete the program, then at the end, they have in their hands only the strongest, brightest talents that can calmly and innovatively deal with any ordeal.

The Complete Banker Program (CIMB)

What makes CIMB's program so special is the trainees are allowed to be specialised in any of the three scope being offered; consumer banking, investment banking or asset management.

CIMB then delivers their training in three phases. In the first phase, the trainees will be educated about the vast selection of CIMB's products and services via a combination of real-life lessons and classroom training. This phase is essential in helping the trainees get used to how the banking and finance industry operates.

The second phase of their program lasts for 10 months during which the trainees are rotated to different business sections. Their responsibility is to acquire information about that department's strengths and weaknesses.

Read more: Blurring your employee’s skill gaps and unlock their potential

During the final phase, CIMB uses the evaluations from the departments the trainees stayed during the second phase to determine the best-suited function for them, and the trainees will continue the rest of their training there.

The CIMB's Complete Banker Program stays true to its name in equipping the trainees with not only the hands-on knowledge of the banking and finance industry but also the soft skills needed for them to lead and inspire others.

University Talent Program (Coca-Cola)

The Coca-Cola's University Talent Program is a 3-year long program aims to equip the trainees with skills and knowledge about every facet of the Sales and Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain and a handful of other functions. The program attracts tons of applications every year due to the trainees being given real roles with real responsibilities.

Read more: What should your employee's development plan contain?

With offices in 28 countries, the trainees are given truly international experience in a fast-paced environment. Besides the usual rotational assignments, the program helps to further develop their trainees by aligning their career paths with the business needs.

Furthermore, the trainees also receive direct mentorships from senior managers, who will be in charge of their evaluation and professional development. The entire program is carefully tracked with clearly marked performance indicators to visualise the trainees' progress and to measure the success of the overall program.

Would your organisation consider establishing a management trainee program to nurture your own future leaders? If it was up to you to lead one of these activities in your company, what would you do before, during, and even after the trainees have completed their program?