ELMIRA ABDULLINA

ACCIONA’S TALENT ACQUISITION & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Talks About Absolutely Essential Talent Development Strategies

In an exclusive interview with CBNME’s Managing Editor - Kasun Illankoon, Elmira Abdullina, Talent Acquisition & Development Manager at the business of ACCIONA in the Middle East, gives us an insight into talent development strategies, the programs that contribute to the achievement of talent development goals in ACCIONA, and how nurturing internal talent moves the company to the success in the industry.

First of all, congratulations on getting an award in the category “Education Initiative of the Year” for the second consecutive year! In your post-award video interview to CBNME you mentioned that your training strategy is part of the overall strategy of success in Facility Management industry. Could you elaborate more on this statement?

I strongly believe that training is one of the crucial elements of a strategic competitive advantage for every industry. Learning that engages and changes human behavior is the fuel behind great teams. We all know we need solid training programs, but few organizations think of training as an organizational strategy. Often it is viewed as a tactical obligation. When we change our perspective and think of learning as a key component of strategic advantage, we begin to discover how to make our talent into a market differentiator nearly impossible to duplicate.

What are the success factors for a good training program?

Our attention should be directed towards four crucial aspects of the program. Firstly, let’s ask ourselves: does it effectively contribute to our business goals? We want the content to be engaging, up-to-date, and easily understandable, catering to the current needs of our audience. It’s crucial that the delivery method is top-notch, ensuring it reaches individuals precisely when they require it the most. And lastly, we must establish a robust strategy to sustain and apply the newly acquired skills or knowledge in the workplace. While it may sound simple, executing these aspects often proves to be quite challenging.

How do you make sure your target learners are actually interested to engage into the new training programs?

“We are too busy to learn!” Even if you are not an L&D professional, this phrase will definitely sound familiar to you. Promoting the value of continuous learning can yield remarkable results in terms of learner engagement and cultivating a learning-oriented mindset. When learners truly grasp the personal benefits that they can derive from learning and development opportunities, their enthusiasm and eagerness to participate increases significantly. Fortunately, there is a straightforward solution that can facilitate understanding of these advantages. Coming from a strong commercial background, I’m always emphasizing the importance of sales and marketing even when it comes to promoting our educational initiatives within the company. Integrating sales and marketing techniques into your learning strategy enables effective communication of the benefits of learning to your workforce. Once individuals can answer the fundamental question of “what’s in it for me?” they will eagerly seek out learning and development opportunities, actively pursuing knowledge and growth. Using marketing techniques allows you to elevate learner engagement to new heights, completely revolutionizing the learning culture within your organization. Gaining a profound understanding of your audience forms the bedrock of your marketing efforts. In today’s fast-paced, constantly connected society, successful marketing of in-house learning products is more important than ever before. In the realm of learning and development, we excel at comprehending the needs of our learners. However, truly knowing your audience extends beyond understanding their workloads, learning styles, and preferences. It is about knowing what truly motivates them and asking critical questions such as why they chose to work for our organization. By grasping the mindset of your people, you can present learning solutions in a manner that captivates their interest and ignites their curiosity. The second step revolves around comprehending and developing your identity as a learning and development department. It is essential to consider how your department’s brand aligns with the overall organizational brand, its distinct personality, and its core values. While you may not have previously contemplated establishing a brand for your learning and development department, doing so can provide a tremendous influence on how learners engage with your offerings. Think of it this way: by cultivating a brand that resonates with your learners, you increase the likelihood of their active involvement in the solutions you provide.

Why did you decide to focus on language development this year and implement ACCIONA Learning English Achievement Program throughout various sectors of your operations in GCC?

We grow very fast as a company and as a solution at ACCIONA in Facility Management Industry. Our aim is to make sure we prepare a strong internal base of talents that are ready to take on the next step in the company hierarchy. As a learning and talent leader, I am personality responsible for the effectiveness of training programs that I develop and implement. There is a great portfolio of training programs that can help our talents to grow within organization. But, having in mind our diverse multinational audience, especially in blue collar category, sometimes the obstacle of program effectiveness and basic ability to put themselves forward to those training programs is a language barrier.