British Airways: Training and Selection Report - Analysis and Review

This report provides a detailed analysis of the training and selection practices at British Airways. It begins with an executive summary and an introduction highlighting the importance of training in enhancing skills, knowledge, and organizational commitment. The report then compares BA's training programs with those of other airlines, emphasizing the company's focus on "Putting People First" and "Managing People First" approaches. It describes the various types of training implemented by BA, including one-week programs, research initiatives, and open learning programs leading to MBA awards. The report further explores BA's recruitment and selection methods, including the use of ethnocentric, polycentric, and geocentric approaches, and the importance of sound staffing strategies. It details the specific methods used to select applicants, such as application forms, assessment processes, interviews, psychometric tests, and criminal record checks. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and emphasizing how BA's HRM practices contribute to its competitive advantage and positive reputation in the industry, supported by several references.

TRAINING AND SELECTION 1
UNIVERSITY NAME
STUDENT NAME
STUDENT ID
COURSE
DATE

TRAINING AND SELECTION 2
EXCECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report is a presentation of a discussion on Training as carried out in British Airline, the
importance of doing the training and the types of training done in British Airline. A comparison
between British Airways is also made with other airlines elsewhere in Europe or the rest of the
world stating and elaborating the points that distinguish it from them in the following section. It
also describes selection and recruitment process in force in British Airways. Culture of the
people working in the Airline is as well discussed and cultural shock also is presented. This
report closes by concluding main points briefly.

TRAINING AND SELECTION 3
Table of Contents
EXCECUTIVE SUMMARY...............................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................4
IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING.................................................................................................................4
COMPARISON OF TRAINING BETWEEN BA AND OTHER AIRLINES............................................4
TYPES OF TRAINING THAT HAVE BEEN SET BY BAs......................................................................5
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION.........................................................................................................5
METHODS USED TO SELECT APPLICANTS....................................................................................6
CONCLUSION...........................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................................8

TRAINING AND SELECTION 4
INTRODUCTION
Training is a program that is used to increase the technical skills, knowledge, efficiency, and
value creation to in doing a job.
IMPORTANCE OF TRAINING
Increase Organizational Commitment: Employees training include more than basic skills, the
commitment among employees rises, employees will work hard for the firm goals (Isidro et al.,
2015, Pg. 146).
Employee Engagement: Employees are fully involved, in their work, and strengthen their
commitment towards job and the organization. This full engagement to their work give benefits
to the company and company can get the competitive advantage. Training play a crucial role in
any firm: better customers’ service and less turn over (Rafiq, 2015).
Change and Continuous Learning: Managers need to do improvement, and encourage employees
to share the knowledge with colleagues and them. Managers should empower the employees, to
share knowledge and identify the problems (Saks & Burke, 2012, pg.120).
COMPARISON OF TRAINING BETWEEN BA AND OTHER AIRLINES
Training and development
As per the unfreezing process BA launched a new culture in the organization, so there was a
need to take-off an efficient training program. In the new training program two principles are
highlighted
a) Putting People First- for the lower level employees and
b) Managing People First-for the higher level management.
Putting people first
According to the organizational goals and objectives BA wanted to be the world’s favourite
airline in the aviation industry. They altered their firm into a market led firm as compared to
being a process driven company in the past Therefore, in this training program employees were
imparted knowledge about the competitive market sector.
Managing people first

TRAINING AND SELECTION 5
According to the stage of movement, BA wanted to bring the vision of its top level management
to the lower level employees. This program comprised of training, feedbacks involvement of top
level management. It aims at customer services and it has proved to be a crucial factor in
attaining customer retention maximising revenue.
BA also assumed an employee promotion so that strength can be provided to the new system.
The top management developed the employees according to this policy.
TYPES OF TRAINING THAT HAVE BEEN SET BY BAs
(i) One-week training programme- Managing People First was done.
(ii) Research programme was put up in line with Managing People First programme.
(iii) A two-day training programme on Putting People First was intended to about
20,000 workers who had substantial customer contact.
(iv)Extensive research were carried out in order to identify the most suitable form of
“helpfulness”
(v) Providing individual learning through a programme that was founded on principles of
open learning leading to MBA award by University of Bath.
(vi)The ‘Top Flight’ programme was put up to deliver a series of ‘Academies’ to the learner
lead to an executive
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
The following approaches are used:
1)Ethnocentric: -The central focus of this approach is home country practice.
2)Polycentric: - In this approach, every subsidiary directs on a local basis, and
3)Geocentric:-In this approach, the company manages employees on a global basis
(Collmus, Armstrong &Landers, 2016, pg.117).
The most vital resource in an organization is its employees. Therefore, it is important to note that
for organization to meet its objectives and to be a profit making venture, sound staffing, selection
and human resource planning strategies need to be put in place. In respect to British Airways, its
plans that related to recruitment and selection were poor since they were recruiting managers
who did not have good experience in the service industry (Jeske& Shultz, 2016, pg.536).

TRAINING AND SELECTION 6
METHODS USED TO SELECT APPLICANTS
Organisations have different ways to select the candidates depending upon different factors such
as time, cost, administrative ease and selection criteria for the post to be filled. A list of selection
methods comprising of Application Forms, Self-Assessment and Peer Assessment, Telephone
Interviewing, Testing, Group Selection Methods and Assessment Centres, Work
Sampling/Portfolios, References etc. British Airways (http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/) use
CV and Application forms, Interviews, Assessment Processes, Criminal Record Check (Noe et
al.,2017).
Application Form:
Applications Forms are the written documents which commonly reflect personal, educational and
employment status of the applicant. BAs stress more on the CV and directed the candidates to
write a well logical, organised and easily understandable CV. Application Forms are slightly
better and fair pointer of candidate’s probability due to their standardise format making the
comparison of the information during sifting and short listing simpler and limited errors.
Assessment Process
Assessment Process include numerous selection techniques generally involving leaderless
groups, Group Problem Solving, psychological tests, Command or executive exercises, in-basket
tasks and multiplicity of interviews and presentations.
Due to the several measures as seen that these are the most effective methods of choosing
candidates. At the end of the measures, the assessors are required to come to cumulative rating
for every candidate according to job requirements.
The process constitutes the following:
Group exercises
Group exercises will examine the team working abilities as well as communication skills of the
candidates.
Interviews
Tricky questions and critical situations to decision are contained in interviews.
Psychometric Tests
BA most frequently focuses on verbal and numerical skills and personality assessment.

TRAINING AND SELECTION 7
Interpersonal skills
Fact-finding explores interpersonal skills to gather rather related data while presentation shows
communication skills a candidate exhibit with a group.
Testing method
It is a kind of alternative for the unpredictability of interview as an indicator of performance and
potential of the candidate. BA uses this technique to evaluate the appropriateness of the
candidate with the requirements of the job. The other kinds of test relating to Torrington and Hall
are Aptitude tests, Special aptitude tests etc
Criminal Record Checks
BA has very well-known safety record. BA is keen on acquiring staffs with good records to
avoid a situation whereby criminals can end up being taken for employees due to limited vetting.
Result of Motivation
In any case, there could be numerous motives as to why employees do not want to or speak out.
Some employees may be seeing this as an unnecessary risk, while others might just have
personal reasons for example being shy or not being comfortable with the authority.
CONCLUSION
To sum up this piece, British Airways have put in place most is not all requirements in relation to
its human resource management measures for strategic or tactical aims for their organization.
This is not only beneficial to human resource but it is also a marketing strategy on its own. Not
only does it highly places the company in the mind of the consumers but also it is source of
competitive edge. This directly results in positive reputation of BA in Europe and other parts of
the world hence becoming one of the premier companies worldwide.

TRAINING AND SELECTION 8
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