Participating in training, personal growth and expanding skills is essential for our employees. At Ailleron, we have long prioritized the development of #AilleronExperts, driven by our values of EXCELLENCE and PASSION. Below, you can read about Ailleron Academy, our proprietary development program. Enjoy the read! 

1 . Sylwia, first of all, congratulations! This is your third time organizing the Ailleron Academy, and I know this edition was a success. 

Thank you very much. I’m pleased that once again we successfully completed a development project that met the needs of our specialists and supported them in their daily challenges. 

2. Let’s start from the beginning. Where did the idea for the Ailleron Academy come from? What are the project’s main goals? 

The Ailleron Academy aims to develop our specialists in areas crucial not only from the company’s strategy perspective but also aligned with our employees’ needs. The Academy is a cross-unit project that focuses on our specialists’ growth, and in recent years, we have centered mainly on soft skills. Through the Ailleron Academy, we strengthen experts’ competencies, provide opportunities for knowledge exchange between Business Units, and foster integration. In my opinion, this project contributes to building a learning organizational culture. 

3. The Academy is one of our flagship development projects, aimed at a different group of #AilleronExperts each year. How do you approach selecting participants? 

The first step is identifying needs by creating development plans together with our managers, who are closest to the teams and clients. This helps me set consistent goals for Business Units for the year. This time, a new element was workshops that explored developmental needs with our Operational Directors and Project Managers. During the workshop, we managed to set up the objectives for this year’s edition, including the target group, program goals, and specific challenges. As a result, we jointly decided that the audience for this edition should be our technical specialists – developers, testers, and analysts. 

4. Each year, the Academy focuses on a different area. What skills are developed, and what topics does the Ailleron Academy cover? 

Last year, it targeted managers and analysts. Managers attended workshops on change management and developmental conversations, while analysts received training in communication and client relationship building. We trained a total of 55 people, and the high rate of applying the acquired knowledge in practice was key to the Academy’s success. This year’s Ailleron Academy focused mainly on developing skills in communication and personal effectiveness. As I mentioned, it was addressed to our developers, testers and analysts. 

5. This variety of topics shows that we aim for comprehensive employee development, not limiting ourselves to just one path. 

Exactly

6. So, tell us more about this year’s edition. What interesting things did our Aillerons learn, and what topics were covered this time? 

Participants learned about tools and methods for improving communication, planning, prioritizing, and conducting meetings, both team and client meetings. During the first workshop, Aillerons were introduced to the von Thun model, which helped them build understanding, engagement, and formulate brief and constructive messages. The second workshop focused on assertiveness and managing both their own and the conversation partner’s emotions. The third workshop concentrated on enhancing skills for conducting effective business meetings, preparation, and facilitation. Participants had the chance to learn tools such as Lean Coffee and the Systemic Onion. The final part was dedicated to building personal effectiveness. Aillerons had the opportunity to try the RACI matrix and The Responsibility Process. 

7. I see many valuable insights here – excellent! Now, let’s consider the “business” side. Does the Ailleron Academy meet its needs? 

This goal is fundamental to our development programs, including the Ailleron Academy. As mentioned earlier, we first strive to help the business identify competency gaps that can be addressed by initiatives such as the Academy. It involves creating training plans, workshops, and analyzing data from our competency database. Drawing on this information, we aim to deliver the greatest value to the business. The competencies developed through the Academy enhance team efficiency and, in the long run, contribute to customer satisfaction. 

8. I’ve heard positive feedback about the program and sessions. How was this edition rated overall? 

I’ll proudly confirm it was very positive. Each area – content, engagement, organization, and practicality – received scores above 4.5/5. Participants particularly appreciated the usefulness and versatility of the tools learned and the ease of applying them in their daily work. The use of case studies from everyday work, which Aillerons presented in the needs analysis, was also rated positively. Now, we will assess the long-term effects and examine the application of the acquired knowledge in practice. 

9. It’s great to hear that. Participant satisfaction is crucial, but organizing such a project is a major challenge. 

For me, preparing the Academy is always exciting – from gathering needs to the opening session. I enjoy working with our Aillerons and exploring their development goals. Partnering with external firms means that market analysis goes beyond comparing offers and includes meeting inspiring trainers. Summarizing the project with high ratings is very rewarding. I believe this initiative helps both the organization and our Aillerons grow, especially in soft skills that benefit their personal development. This motivates me to plan future initiatives and find satisfaction in them. 

10. What do you feel after it’s over? 

Above all, satisfaction that it’s been a success again. Gratitude for the trust and the significant autonomy in executing this project, as well as the support of the team when I needed to clear my thoughts and reflect on whether the direction I was taking was right. A sense of anticipation, as I eagerly await the next edition. 

11. One might say it’s time to rest, but I know you have another project on the horizon, so to wrap up, what are the plans for the future? When do you start preparing for the next edition of the Academy, and are ideas already taking shape in your mind? 

The Academy is our spring project, and we start preparations at the end of this year. There are many ideas, maybe even too many [laughs]. However, as I mentioned, responding to our employees’ needs is key. We’ll see in which direction #AilleronExperts want to develop in the next edition. 

Thank you for the interview, and we eagerly await the next development events.