Beginning next month in the Northern Arabian Gulf and Saudi Arabia regions, selected hotel outlet managers and assistant department heads will attend development centres set up as part of a strategic programme designed by the company to build up the pipeline of talent.
Pathways is a pioneering move by Six Continents Hotels to accelerate the process by which its high potential junior management become department heads, progress to regional positions within the company, or emerge as general managers.
The Pathways programme is unique in that no external consultants will be used in running the development centers. Each development centre will be run by regional training or personnel managers who have received intensive training in Europe for their new roles as Pathways Regional Directors.
Pathways represents a sustained commitment by the company to ensure the high potential and high value people we employ develop their careers to the fullest extent, said Rosie Hobbs, area director of training, Six Continents Hotels, Middle East and Africa.
One of our core human resources strategies is to develop a pipeline of talent to provide managers for our expanding portfolio of Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels and resorts.
Currently, we do not have enough people coming through this pipeline, and Pathways will give us access to more people of high potential and high value, and allow us to develop their talent faster.
Between 300 and 400 candidates hand-picked by their general managers will go through the Pathways programme each year in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Other development centres will be held for Lebanon and Jordan in April, Oman and the UAE and Egypt and Africa in May.
Six Continents Hotels currently manages 119 Inter-Continental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels and resorts in the Middle East and Africa, and another 15 are under development.
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