15 September 2010
Not everybody is a born leader, and certainly, nobody is born with the skills of a manager. Managerial skills are gained and developed from experience. But the simple truth is, every company needs good managers on its team. However, the lack of manager-material is making it difficult to find qualified personnel to fill in the role.
To address this, many companies have management trainees. A management trainee is an individual who undergoes training for managerial or supervisory positions. A management trainee program is the best way to prepare employees to become managers in the future. It equips them with the required skills, judgment, and know-how of being an effective and responsible manager.
The benefits of having management trainees in a company are obvious. It provides a good succession planning and improves morale. For the person, however, it might be a different story. What do you get from being a management trainee? Here are some of its advantages for the employee:
1. A management trainee is exposed to every aspect of the business and role.
A management trainee would be expected to know all facets of the business, from sales to customer service, to human resources and operations. Even a limited management trainee would be expected to know all aspects of the function. A marketing trainee, for instance, would do some time working with ads, then with the online campaigns, and then with presentations and then finally with client meetings.
As such, the management trainee becomes very flexible when it comes to skills related to his or her job.
2. You can have a pick of the job you love most.
Some companies offer management trainees a chance to work in departments they feel they could excel in. If you’ve been particularly stellar in sales, or you are interested in human resources, you could choose to work in that area.
3. It develops teamwork.
As trainees, you will be working with teams or at least a partner who will show you how things are done in the department. You will learn to work with teams of different members and at different levels. Sometimes, you will be working with a higher management, other times you’ll work hand in hand with your subordinates. Aside from developing teamwork, you could also build up a mentor-apprentice relationship with the people you work with.
4. You get promoted easily.
Career advancement is the ultimate goal of management training. You are trained so that you’ll be ready to head a department or manage a division. Once a vacancy comes up, you will have a great chance of being promoted. Simply put, management training places you on the radar of the company’s meticulous executives.
5. It is the best way to “earn your stripes”.
Being part of a management trainee program is very much like being in school, or perhaps enrolling in an MBA program. The only difference is that you get real work-related situations and problems that need fast, implementable solutions. Moreover, as a management trainee, you have a mentor who screens your every decision to see if they would be feasible. The result? You will learn more about your division or your company. In effect, you are given the opportunity to experience being a manager without the big responsibilities.
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