F IDI AC A D E M Y Jan Koets, Managing Director of Atlas International Runar Nilsen, Deputy CEO, Santa Fe Philip Wells, SVP global move management, international division, at JK Moving Ongoing training is crucial to employee retention, and employee retention is vital to a companys growth and sustainability. JK invests heavily in its staff... including defining clear career paths for employees at all levels of the company. JK Moving advertises its FIDI training to potential new recruits, says Wells. You cannot underestimate the importance of showing both your current and potential staff that you intend to invest in them, and of course following through on that promise, he says. These programmes are an opportunity for your staff to push themselves and excel in a new environment; and the prized goal of attending that years FIDI conference certainly doesnt hurt, either. Roup adds: To level up staff skills is a necessity for any company that wants to stay competitive, in terms of its service to customers but also as an employer. We truly believe that investing in our leaders and staff strengthens our employee value proposition and is an important signal to the market. At Santa Fe, Nilsen adds: Continuous training and development is key to attracting and retaining the best people and giving internal career opportunities. The Barcelona MiM warm up for a day of learning Why the FIDI Academy? So, of the many training programmes available, why did these businesses opt to send their staff on a FIDI Academy one in particular? Nilsen continues: Our inboxes are overflowing with all kinds of training offers, so we are very selective. We chose FIDI because the industry input and experience from FIDI staff and colleagues was important to us, along with the more technical content of the agenda. This type of external training was of course very limited during the COVID years, so we wanted to offer our participants something broader than our own focused training, and to give them the opportunity to meet colleagues from the industry and learn from them not only from the FIDI lecturers. Wells agrees that staff get more when they take part in external FIDI training. FIDI online Academy course promotion Of course, while in-person learning is incredibly valuable and fun, there are times when online courses can offer an effective alternative. FIDI is running two ongoing promotions on its online training modules see below. Benefits to your company include: Lower cost to the in-person training Allows you to offer a unique ongoing learning programme to your staff Flexibility for employees to learn at their desks, available 24/7 Short but complete induction programmes to your newcomers Offers a wide range of topics for move coordinators, salespeople, quality managers and anyone involved in the moving or relocation process The current FIDI Academy promotional options are: 12 months unlimited access to ALL FIDI Academy online training: 1,500/branch 12 months unlimited access to ALL recorded webinars: 1,000/branch The FIDI EiM and MiM2 take staff out of their day-today comfort zone and push their boundaries, he says. They are exposed to networking opportunities, given the ability to share ideas and challenges with their peers, while simultaneously being challenged by experienced industry trainers from the FIDI Academy. The MiM2, in particular, is an ideal environment for a manager of any level in our industry, whether they are brand new to their management role, or have years of experience. There will always be a different view gained, perspective shared, or technique learned, and this is only possible in the environment that FIDI creates. Roup says, as an Affiliate, a FIDI course is a natural choice for the business. It is the best in its category. The company has recently decided to increase the number of staff it sends on both virtual and face-to-face FIDI Academy programmes. Our experience with FIDI training has been fantastic and many of us at Atlas have enjoyed and benefited over the years, says Koets. Ciska is at a phase in her career and holds a leadership role within Atlas that requires the skill MiM2 has to offer. The MiM2 training was the perfect way to further increase Ciskas knowledge and to assist her with her further growth and development within our organisation. FIDIs next 2023 MiM will take place in Barcelona. Here are the key 2023 dates for your diary: Opening dinner: Sunday 17 September 5-day seminar: Monday 18-Friday 22 September Final evening dinner: Friday 22 September Departure: Saturday 23 September If you are interested in participating in the next MiM session, please contact Chantal Fera at academy@fidi.org 68 FF308 Dec-Jan 23 pp64-68 FIDIAcademy.indd 68 05/12/2022 17:15