A Proposal for Employees' Training, Development and Retention (Essay Sample)

Talent Management Plan
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Talent Management Plan
Identifying and nurturing talents in an organization increase its competitiveness and sustainability in the industry. The process is conducted by applying integrated people management practices to attract, recruit, motivate, and retain talented employees. This process is identified as a talent management plan. It is necessary for supporting organizations to realize their strategic goals. The following is a proposal for a talent management plan for pilots at Southwest Airlines.
Recruitment Sources
The Pilot Career Center (PCC) is among the largest global recruitment sources for pilots. The company offers diverse detailed industry insight into career success and the most recent airline interviews. PPC has a success rate of 90% and collaborates with global aviation companies like Air Canada, Cathay Pacific, and Etihad Airways, among many others, in recruiting and placing pilots (Houston, 2019).
AirlinePilot Central.com (APC) merges employment information from more than 100 Airlines in the U.S. and has more than forth thousand registered users. It offers services like preparation assistance and information download and boasts as among the top brands in pilots’ recruitments across the U.S. with over a million visitors per month.
Avjobs.com is among the pioneers of pilots' recruitment resources. It was established in 1988 and connects potential pilots to employers. Avjobs.com lists pilots' jobs by state in the U.S. and currently has 71,328 job openings from 2,080 companies (Houston, 2019). The agency also helps pilots structure their resumes, offer them recruitment tips and options for further aviation studies.
Common Selection Methods
An in-person is a common selection method in the aviation industry. It involves a face-to-face discussion between interviewers and interviewees, where the former answer series of questions on their suitability to the available job offer (Waal & Heijden, 2015). The questions are customized to collect information such as work experience, academic performance, certification, honors (if applicable), interpersonal skills, and other abilities. The candidate with the highest score is selected as the successful job applicant.
Preliminary screening applies after employers get sufficient interest in a position. The process involves recruiters screening applicants' resumes to evaluate the candidates to shortlist for interviews and possible selection. Employers consider variables like minimum flying hours and levels of education.
The most common selection method for pilots is assessment centers. It combines multiple testing processes to verify the selected candidate's suitability (Waal & Heijden, 2015). Examples include practical tests of flying planes, psychometric tests, and in-person interviews. This method cuts across assessing candidates' personalities, abilities, general intelligence, sensory, and motor abilities. It aims to clarify assumptions that interviewers may have concerning particular candidates. The assessment center evaluates how well the shortlisted candidates can perform the job at hand.
Training and Development Methods
The on-the-job training method involves selecting successful candidates and training them by assigning them specific tasks. For example, an entry-level pilot can join the cabin crew team and learn to become a co-pilot at the job. This training method involves employees working, learning, and developing through work experience.
Understudy training methods involve attaching employees to supervisors. The employees can work as assistants of senior employees for guidance where necessary. For example, pilots can work under the captains who mentor them to become experts in their professions.
Simulation is a common training and development method in the aviation industry. It can be in the form of role-playing in learning how to handle a complex situation. An example is a mock emergency to train pilots on how to handle aircraft during a crisis.
Recommended Training Methods
A group study can improve pilots' competency. It involves studying with others to improve collaboration and understanding. Pilots get opportunities for sharing training ideas to gain new and deeper insight. This method is cost-effective because it involves economies of scale and improves training outcomes.
Team building activities can improve pilots’ training outcomes. An example is creating colleagues’ cockpit songs and slogans to simplify the training subject and make concepts easy to remember and apply (Wordsworth, 2019). Team building is also a fun way of learning and retaining training concepts that make the training program more engaging and productive.
Chair flying is a common training development for pilots. It is designed to help pilots learn new motor skills by offering a safe and relaxed learning environment. The training programs are rolled out in a non-functional mock cockpit to familiarize pilots with training procedures and their work environment (Wordsworth, 2019). Chair flying is a form of simulation that stretches pilots' imaginations required in the real tasks of flying aircraft.
Performance Management System
The company’s performance management system should be a continuous rather than an annual cycle. The upper management should support the system by demonstrating their willingness, capability, and capability to deliver result-oriented performance management (Waal & Heijden, 2015). The system can be supported by other management software that offers visibility of the performance management activities. It guides the personnel along their preferred career path to ensure that pilots’ goals