Developing Cast Member Skills at Thorpe Park Paper

Thorpe Park’s Training Program
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Thorpe Park’s Training Program
Due to the rapid changes in every sector of the economy, organizations are challenged to develop strategies that will enable them to cope up with these changes. One of the ways that has been proven to align organizations to the changes is by developing a meaningful training program for its members to equip them with strategies and skills that will enable them to effectively compete and succeed in the modern volatile business environment. According to Pfeffer (2000), training can be a source of competitive advantage to those organizations that has knowledge of how they can utilize it. Noe (2010), argues that although training may be expensive to other organizations, effective employee training can be minimized to the benefit of the organization and members as well. In his support for employee training Prahalad (2000) argues that employee training can be considered as part of the organizations’ career development strategies for its employees that include both experiential and analytic sides of development. Defined as a systematic acquisition of concepts, skills, or attitudes that may enable members of the organization to improve their performance, training has become an integral part of an organization’s change and learning, career development and employee evaluation (White & Mackenzie-Davey, 2003). This paper will evaluate Thorpe Park’s training program for new employees.
Thorpe’s Training Program
Thorpe utilizes the induction training program that is mostly conducted when there are new recruits before they resume their assigned responsibilities in their new environment. This method is necessary in training new employees in order to familiarize them with organization’s environment (people, culture, surroundings) and also to introduce them to the organization’s policies and standards. It also provides them all the guidance and help that they need to perform their responsibilities in a comfortable, effective and efficient manner. Thorpe Park employs both permanent and seasonal employee with each category having different terms of contract. There training starts when they meet with their employers but they are being trained by Suzy.
Additionally, after the induction training the organization carries n apprenticeship scheme where its employees are trained within the organization to equip them with new skills that have been driven by the rapid changes in the industry. The scheme absorbed employees who qualified and they included members of the food and beverage areas.
In evaluating training and apprenticeship schemes, Kirkpatrick provided a four-level model in 1967 and modified it by 2004. Also, Galvin (1983) proposed a CIPP model (context, input, process and product) while Phillips (1996) developed a five-level model (reaction and planned action, learning, applied learning on the job, business results and return on investment) that modified Kirkpatrick’s model. Binkerhoff (1987) also developed a six stage framework to evaluate training programs. In its nature, the current evaluation of Thorpe Park’s scheme has adopted Kirkpatrick’s model that is embedded in: reaction, learning, behavior and results.
Reaction Level evaluates how the employees reacted to the training while learning evaluates whether the objectives of the training has been achieved. Behavior levels assess to what extent has the scheme changed employee behavior when they return to their various jobs. Goldstein and Ford (2002; cited in Alipour, et al., 2009) emphasizes that training should bring a behavior change within the organization (transfer of skills for job performance) to improve the general performance of the organization. The results level provides a basis for assessing the benefits of the scheme against its costs (Armstrong, 2010). Results are also reflected in the performance of the trained employees after they resume their respective jobs from the training.
The participants gave a positive feedback on the scheme by admitting that it was necessary for them as they acquired new skills. They identified examples of the new skilled that they learned from the scheme (team management). They also, felt that the new skilled added “value to those who had acquired little or limited previous qualifications through the education system.” Suzy felt that the scheme has met its objectives and the members had acquired relevant skills from the training and there were no financial costs incurred to the organization. However, despite a positive reaction from the employee and Suzy’s approval of the scheme, she opined that there are some constraints such as staff time to participate in the scheme was a major one.
Following the introduction of the scheme in the organization, the performance of the organization improved, a survey conducted by the Merlin staff engagement revealed that there were considerable improvements in the most relevant areas in the organization. The findings of the survey were as follows: 81% of Thorpe Park’s employees agreed to “There is someone at work who encourages my development”; 89% agre...