QUESTION ONE $[50]$

Read the following article and answer the questions that follow:

Employee Training and Development: Investing In The Future

At Discount Tire we have a strong culture of caring for and cultivating our people. We$$re an

industry leader with more than $24,000$ employees that likes to promote from within. So$,$

when it comes to ensuring our people are prepared for and have the tools needed to

succeed in their career at Discount Tire, we do more than just talk about it$,$ we invest. Like

most people, our employees have career goals, or what we call $$The Dream.$$ To best

support their dreams, we provide professional development and training resources through

our Discount Tire University $($DTU$)$; however, we$$re always looking for innovative ways to

help our people learn. And our training academies are a great example. Several years ago,

one of our store teams identified gaps in their new$-$hire training. After receiving feedback

from employees, they determined a more hands$-$on learning approach was needed. News of

this approach and its subsequent positive results made its way to corporate and we quickly

set out to see how we could re$-$create what this store had done, to ensure other employees

had the same valuable learning opportunities. $$Our training academies are a by$-$product of

our focus on our employees and our customers,$$ said Al Hatfield, assistant vice president of

Discount Tire. $$At the academy, we train our employees on company best practices and

critical safety procedures. Most important, we instill confidence in them before they start

their new position so that they can provide a world class customer experience.$$

Our Approach

In our academies, training and applying best practices help keep our employees safe on the

job, and our customers safe on the road. Furthermore, when it comes to engagement, we

deliver learning in a way that makes it fun and memorable, so our employees fully engage

with course materials and instructors. We want employees to see their full potential beyond

the job they applied for, so their engagement doesn$$t stop at academy graduation. Coaching

and mentoring are key components of any successful organization. Our academy coaches,

who are store leaders, take interaction to new levels, with the intent of keeping graduates

focused on their career goals within the company. We listen to what our people say. We

also empower them to speak up and tell us if they see ways to innovate. When employees

are vocal it helps us better support them in their career journey. Ongoing employee

$2$

feedback and a focus on our return on investment has made our academy training what it is

today.

High Value Investments

The short$-$ and long$-$term value training academy students bring to Discount Tire is

significant, especially for recruitment and retention. We recently asked a few academy

graduates what they thought about their training and they said they feel more prepared for

their new careers and that they want to go on to achieve their dream. What this tells us is

that our training academies are cultivating well$-$trained employees who understand their role,

are excited for their new careers, and who are loyal to the company$$s long$-$term vision. "I

really like the family aspect here and that the teachers help keep us focused,$$ said a recent

graduate. $$I feel like I$\text{'}$m more prepared to work in the store now." Training and educating

employees on company culture and building individual capabilities takes commitment from

the highest levels in the company $$ and it takes financial investment. The payoff is a welltrained workforce that is invested in the long$-$term, not only in the growth of their career, but

also in the growth of the company. We know that our employees are the foundation of our

company and will continue to invest in their futures.

Questions:

$1\mathrm{.}1.$ Evaluate the various training methods utilised by Discount Tire. $(20)$

$1\mathrm{.}2.$Like most people, our employees have career goals, or what we call The Dream.$$

Critically discuss why organisations like Discount Tire place so much focus on

supporting these career goals or $$dreams$.(20)$

$1\mathrm{.}3.$The short$-$ and long$-$term value training academy students bring to Discount Tire is

significant$.$ Critically discuss and evaluate the mentioned $$value$$ as outlined in the

statement above. $(10$