“It was important to us
Atos Origin – transforming graduates into
that we were able to
work in a true
partnership with QA to
valuable long-term team members
deliver our Graduate
Programme. We have
been able to benefit
Atos Origin is an international information technology services company, providing consulting, systems
from innovative ideas
from both sides to pull
integration and managed operations. The company employs 50,000 people in 40 countries and in the UK
together a really
it has around 7,000 employees and revenues of more than EUR 1 billion.
effective programme
which has been really
well-received both by
the graduates and the
The challenge Building a reputation
areas of the business
Atos Origin wanted to build on its already successful graduate Atos Origin’s graduate programme isn’t just about training –
they have joined.”
programme in an innovative way, aimed at providing a true it’s also about the successful integration of graduates into the
induction into the business rather than just stand-alone training. business. An important part of this is understanding the
Michelle Tayler
The company understands that a successful induction importance of networking within a company and establishing a
Graduate Development
programme needs to be an ongoing process and therefore reputation. However, starting the networking process can be
Manager wanted its new graduate development programme to be difficult so the programme was designed to provide opportunities
Atos Origin managed throughout by an experienced training provider. to kick-start the process. For example, each graduate is partnered
The solution
with another graduate from a different area of the business, to
Atos Origin engaged QA to create and manage an entirely new
engage in a reciprocal work-shadowing day. Later in the
programme, one that would not only provide graduates with a
programme, graduates are partnered with more established Atos
Atos Origin
strong start in the short term, but would also remain in place to
Origin employees in roles to which they might aspire, so that
www.uk.atosorigin.com
provide ongoing training and support through the vital first
additional work-shadowing days can expose graduates to long-
eighteen months of their time with the company.
term employees with high-flying careers.
The two organisations worked together as a team to create the
Maintaining the learning culture
12
solution, drawing on ideas from both sides. This meant that the Once working within the business, regular management and
programme would be tailored to the needs of Atos Origin’s personal development training provides graduates with additional
business and would take account of the company’s experience valuable skills.
with its people, while drawing upon QA’s learning expertise and
Post-course training is also delivered by QA, integrated with Atos
experience of best practice.
Origin’s Skillsoft eLearning system. A monthly eLearning programme is
The goals were ambitious – so the solution needed to be
designed to supplement the instructor-led sessions, to both add
innovative and thorough. QA developed a powerful, bespoke
additional skills and reinforce those already learnt.
graduate training programme. The methodology behind the Measuring success: Graduates are assessed up to level three of the
programme’s development was QA’s Knowledge3, which ensures Kirkpatrick Method – measuring the behavioural change that takes
that learning programmes are structured around the essential place as a direct result of a training intervention. Each quarter, between
stages of assessment, training and measurement.
3 and 5 people review each graduate’s increasing range of skills,
including the individual’s line manager and peers. This provides an
Strong learning foundations
important platform for feedback to the graduate and encourages and
The programme begins with an intensive two-week residential measures the transition of skills from classroom to the workplace.
course, building up the graduates’ business-related skills such as
Reinforcing their choice of employer: Access is provided to a number
customer service, time management, influencing and
of Atos Origin’s top executives and professionals, via regular telephone
communications skills – combined with getting to know the Atos
conferences and face-to-face sessions to reinforce their decision that
Origin business. The training includes evening sessions, which
Atos Origin is the right choice of employer.
are delivered more informally, including creative thinking and
Managing the programme: QA and Atos Origin have been able to
personal image. These sessions complement the more formal
work closely together, sharing ideas and taking account of suggestions
classroom-based sessions – developing a strong personal image
from current graduates, in order to further enhance the programme.
is a key part of the transition from graduate to professional
Atos Origin’s feedback from the first year’s programme was so positive
employee.
that QA has been engaged for the next year to deliver the same
Building on this are further management and personal
programme.
development training programmes to develop the graduates’
personal and team skills – encouraging them to be contributors
within the business. This solid foundation of learning is then
supplemented by role-specific training (for example, providing
ITIL
®
service management training).
Establishing a peer group
Moving straight from university to a competitive business
environment can be daunting – and graduates can feel lost.
To aid collaboration, foster networking and build a team spirit the
Atos Origin graduates are encouraged to become part of a peer
group that meets once a month – either face-to-face or by
conference call.
Supporting the graduates and their managers
The support provided by the peer group and facilitated monthly
sessions is further reinforced by the day-to-day support provided
by the graduates’ managers. QA provides training in coaching
skills to the managers, partly to give them a clearer
understanding of the scope of the programme and the ‘learning
journey’ that graduates are taking, but also to enable them to
better support and manage the graduates in their teams.
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