This week saw us launch a brand-new learning and development programme, The Food Academy, designed especially with our Food colleagues in mind - because we know that now more than ever is the time to invest in our people.
Reviewing over 200 of our colleague’s personal development plans to inform our approach, the learning and development team set out to create learning modules on topics that our food colleagues want to access the most. From the get-go, this wasn’t going to be just any Learning and Development programme, this was going to be an M&S learning and development programme!
From working on your self-awareness, increasing your resilience when facing challenges or improving your working relationships – each module is tailored to support our colleagues to be the best they can be, whether they work in marketing or food technology, there is something for everyone’s development needs.
Harnessing every opportunity for personal growth
With the offer including regular workshops (face-to-face and virtual), bite-sized eLearning, quick reads and short videos, nearly everything is available online - something which was crucial to the offer given our current ways of working says Learning and Development Consultant, Rebecca.
“As we get less opportunity to sit with our team members and learn from our peers on a day to day basis, we wanted to make sure our food colleagues were still getting the chance to upskill and develop in ways that could help them personally, and the business. By introducing the Food Academy, we feel that we can really make an impact on both.”
As self-directed learning, it’s up to our colleagues to decide when and where to access these newly developed resources, something which Rebecca is confident colleagues will adopt.
“There is nothing more certain than belief in yourself and what you can bring to the table. The Food Academy allows you to harness your peak performance and thrive at work, and with it being accessible at any time of the day – our colleagues can make the most of what the Food Academy has to offer at a time and place that suits them.”
We’re confident of a great year ahead in Foods, but we won’t rest on our laurels. The Food Academy is just one way in which we can truly support our teams to be the best they can be and deliver our strategy at pace with a confidence that is truly their own.
Interested in an M&S Food career? Learn more about working in M&S Foods or explore our current job opportunities today.
