In the past issues of Portfolio, we have told you all about SLASPA’s business sectors such as cruise, cargo and the services at the airports. In this and upcoming issues, we will focus on some of SLASPA’s internal departments which provide support to its business sectors. We will begin with SLASPA’s all important Human Resource and Administration Department, the Employee Development and Training Unit and explain how the organisation enriches its workforce by creating and sustaining opportunities for training and development.

In order to achieve this objective SLASPA created a Training Unit in the late 90's. This was also in recognition of the need to train and improve the skill base of employees in order to meet the demands of global competition. Over the past two years, the unit has further developed into the Employee Development unit which encompasses a wider array of services for employees with a focus on improving employee performance overall.

The unit focuses on two main aspects of training: Developmental Training which involves the development of soft skills like Time Management and Customer Service and Technical Training which equips employees with specific skills for their jobs and the equipment which they are required to utilize. At this point, you might be wondering, who gets training? At SLASPA, all employees are eligible for training. Over the last year and into this year the Training Unit has trained over 1,300 employees and stakeholders and offered and facilitated over 75 different types of workshops. Some of the interesting courses which the Employee Development and Training Unit facilitates range from basic skills for employees, to fire extinguisher training, forklift training, first responders training and handling dangerous goods. There are also some employees who must receive mandatory basic training which include Air Traffic Control Officers, Port Police Officers and Pilot Boat Captains as these are specialized fields and require extensive training on the operations of the business.

The in-house training unit is very active as they run a variety of customized in house courses - including supervisory development, customer service and safety workshops. Managers also form part of the core of trainers and train employees in the areas of Customer Service, Air and Sea Ports Security, Report writing and Maritime safety. Also, stakeholders and other organisations have benefitted from the specialized training sessions facilitated by SLASPA. Employees also benefit from local, regional and international courses which are often conducted outside the perimeters of SLASPA’s facilities.

SLASPA has embraced a learning culture where it seeks to meet one of its strategic objectives. Consequently, SLASPA is committed to enriching its workforce by creating and sustaining the opportunities available for training and development since we believe that their human capital is one of the most leading assets of the organisation.