After all, in a huge organization, it’s easy to feel like you’re just one of countless others – why should they care about you?
But the truth is, the size of a company has little to do with how much it cares and supports its people.
Whether a global conglomerate or an overnight start-up, what matters most is the value that its leaders place on personal growth and career development.
Such has been the case for Thales, which employs over 80,000 people around the world while having a reputation for being an outstanding place to work and grow.
The key, as Thales has proven, lies in nurturing and promoting a culture of self-improvement.
And it does this by running a variety of learning and development programs that empower its people to not only become better, but, ultimately, become their best selves.
Here are five of its standout programs that can be the stepping stones to elevating your self-development and career growth
Talent Accelerator Program
Size and frequency: One cohort, once a year
Who’s it for: Young talent and future leaders
Goal: Build their business knowledge and self-awareness
Thales’ roots in Australia stretch well over 100 years, but its focus on the future keeps it at the forefront of its industry.
Case in point: the Talent Accelerator Program.
This exclusive program is designed to nurture the company’s brightest talents, supporting their growth as they strive to fulfill their potential.
The program actively engages a select group of young candidates in the company, helping them build their leadership skills and building their business acumen accordingly. This, the company hopes, will drive innovation at Thalesand maintain its world-class standing.
Using a unique mix of private mentorship, immersive experiences, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities, this program helps candidates go beyond what they thought was possible.
Kamila Ataman from the Organizational Culture Capability team shares:
“The Talent Accelerator program was a revelation for me. Connecting with a global cohort, experiencing a week of immersive training in Paris, and collaborating with passionate peers was beyond valuable. The program’s impact on my skills and network is immeasurable, leading to newfound confidence and a transformed professional outlook.”
Future Female Leaders Program
Size and frequency: One cohort, once a year
Who’s it for: Women on track for senior or leadership role
Goal: Drive and inspire more women into leadership
The Future Female Leaders Program is another exclusive program that Thales runs, taking a group of women and arming them with practical tools and knowledge for advancing their careers.
Designed to help drive more women into leadership roles, this program has already made a massive impact on the career trajectories of its participants.
Sharen Wallace, an Inventory Controller in Thales, was surprised and impressed:
“When I first found out I was being nominated for the course, I didn’t know what to expect. I was very skeptical.”
She elaborates:
“Coming from a Defense background (Army) of over 30 years, I thought my leadership style was already very good. But after attending the course, I discovered that I lacked confidence in myself and kept questioning my leadership style.”
“It wasn’t until I attended the training that I learned I couldn’t talk about myself or my achievements throughout my career. The training I received, and the one-on-one mentoring sessions I have had since, have been extremely helpful and very insightful.”
Kate Wheatley, an Engineering Delivery Manager, echoed Sharen.
“This conference came at a really good time for me, as I was transitioning into a more senior role at work. This often challenges me and requires added confidence in my abilities.”
“I left the conference feeling inspired, supported, and empowered. The background and credentials of the panel were impressive, and the guest speaker was phenomenal – this was evident in the audience engagement. It was wonderful to connect with other technical, professional women in an environment where we could be honest and open about our experiences.”
Along with its exceptional career development programs Thales offers man other amazing employer benefits.
Internal mentoring programs
Size and frequency: Varies; always open
Who’s it for: Incoming and current employees
Goal: Get support and develop a clear career progression plan
Thales has always had a strong culture of mentorship, but the company has taken big leaps forward here recently.
Saskia Spaan, a Learning & Development manager at Thales, explains:
“Mentoring aligns with a key behavior expected of everyone at Thales: ‘Together – Develop others and self’. Through mentorship, employees can form connections, give, and receive knowledge, learn skills, feel supported, and gain advice.”
Saskia manages two local mentoring programs that started three years ago.
The first, the Early Career Guidance Program, helps graduates, interns, and trainees transition to working at Thales, helping them become competent and self-sufficient.
The Thales Australia Mentoring Program, meanwhile, supports any employee who has been working in the company for at least a year to advance their knowledge and capabilities at Thales.
Both programs use state-of-the-art technologies and dedicated internal resources to provide mentees with a valuable and rewarding experience.
A recent mentee shared:
“The support I have received from my mentor, as well as the commitment given through the creation of a short-term career plan are definitely making a difference.”
The Future Through Collaboration Mentoring Program
Size and frequency: One cohort, once a year (program runs for 12 months)
Who’s it for: Women in the Defense industry
Goal: Match participants with senior industry mentors to improve their knowledge and skills
Leaders at Thales know that true mentorship can and should go beyond the confines of the company.
That’s why it participates in and promotes The Future Through Collaboration (TFTC) Mentoring Program, which caters to women across different fields of the Defense industry.
Over 12 months, participating women are matched with senior industry mentors who provide valuable advice, guidance, and solutions for their careers.
Thales started running the program four years ago, and it has already sponsored 30 employees.
Susannah Russell, Head of Programs Avionics, has only positive things to say about it:
“TFTC is a fully structured mentoring and personal development system that makes sure both parties get optimal benefit. You’re not just matched with a mentor, but from the commencement of the program, you will receive training to help you in different matters. For example, in identifying your goals.”
The quality of the mentors also goes beyond the norm.
“Mentors have also been trained to give the most to their mentees, so you are both well set up. Then, not only do you meet with your mentor on a regular occasion, but every three months. There are facilitated workshops where you really explore how things are going. Those workshops are so valuable.”
uLearn
Size and frequency: Unlimited; always available
Who’s it for: All Thales employees
Goal: Enable continuous learning
Available to all Thales employees since 2021, uLearn has been the company’s go-to platform for continuous learning.
This learning management system lets employees learn and complete courses at their own pace, enabling them to keep learning new things over time.
But what’s really special about how Thales uses this system is how it customizes it for its Australian employees. For example, Thales uses local country administrators who help contextualize learning materials and outcomes by tailoring lessons and even meeting the demands of local markets.
The company has already used uLearn to deliver 170 face-to-face virtual sessions in 2023 alone, with 65 more already planned in the coming months.
Employees can use uLearn all year round, ensuring members always have access.
Are you growing the way you want?
Are you ready to step into your best self?
There’s no doubt that in your personal and professional growth, you’re in charge.
But as Thales has shown, the right support from your employer can accelerate that growth dramatically in many ways.
While the five programs above form amazing stepping stones, in truth this story is really a six-step guide, as the first (and most crucial) step for your self-development and career growth is the first one you take by joining the team.
