Case study - Gulf Air
Professional Academy helped Gulf Air transform an under-skilled, demotivated workforce through an 18-month bespoke leadership, sales and marketing programme, supporting ambitious business and nationalisation targets.
The story
By 2011, Bahraini government-owned Gulf Air was losing million a day. Competition had contributed to the loss of key people; the workforce was increasingly demotivated and under-skilled; and the organisation needed stronger local capability so Bahraini nationals could move into positions of responsibility and accountability.
Case study detail
The goal
Improve workforce capability, motivation and career progression; help Gulf Air meet profitability and nationalisation goals; and enable suitably qualified Bahraini nationals to progress into responsible roles.
The route chosen
An 18-month bespoke management-development programme offering CIM, ISMM and CMI qualifications from Level 2 through Level 6. Candidates were interviewed and allocated to the programme and level that best matched their education, job function, experience, career opportunity and propensity to study.
The support provided
Professional Academy delivered two full-day courses every six weeks for 18 months, designed around Gulf Air's 7.00am to 3.00pm working day, prayer breaks, cultural values and business needs. Learners attended lectures and workshops, studied remotely with tutor support, completed assignments based on real Gulf Air situations and sat examinations.
The outcome
After 18 months, 98% of delegates achieved their professional qualification, compared with previous completion rates of around 40%. The remaining 2% received continued support. By July 2013, Gulf Air had reduced its foreign-national workforce by approximately 50% without significantly reducing internal delivery capability, supporting profitability and the goal of increasing the local workforce.
Employer perspective
I highly recommend Professional Academy to any business looking to develop and deliver professional training programmes. Extraordinarily customer-focused, its ability to grasp the brief, taking into account learning and development, cultural, political and practical needs; its tutors subject-matter expertise and professionalism; and its organisational ability to be flexible are exceptional.
If the Gulf Air story reflects your organisation’s priorities, explore our approach to employer development. For a programme shaped around internal roles and capability needs, review Diplomas in Business Excellence and discuss what would need to be different for your context.
Relevant next step
Talk to Professional Academy about a flexible, internationally accessible professional-development route for your team.
