The Ailleron Academy: How We Focus on Developing #AilleronExperts

The opportunity to participate in training and develop skills is crucial for our employees. For years, at Ailleron, we’ve been committed to developing #AilleronExperts because, in line with our values of EXCELLENCE and PASSION, we strive to be the very best specialists we can be. Below, you can read about our proprietary development program, the Ailleron Academy. Enjoy the read!

1 . Sylwia, first of all, huge congratulations! This is the third time you’ve been in charge of organizing the Ailleron Academy, and I’ve heard that this edition was a success.

Thank you very much. I'm glad that, once again, we were able to carry out a development project that met the needs of our specialists and supported them in their daily challenges.

2. Let's start from the beginning. Where did the idea for the Ailleron Academy come from? What are the main goals of the project?

The Ailleron Academy is a project aimed at developing our specialists in areas that are key not only from the perspective of the company’s strategy, but also aligned with the needs of our employees. The Academy is a cross-unit initiative that develops our specialists, and in recent years we have focused primarily on soft skills. Through the Ailleron Academy, we strengthen our experts’ competencies, give them the opportunity to exchange knowledge across Business Units, and foster integration. In my view, this initiative contributes to building a culture of continuous learning within the organization.

3. The Academy is one of our flagship development projects, aimed at a different group of #AilleronExperts each year. How do you go about selecting participants?

First and foremost, it is crucial to identify needs by creating development plans together with our managers, who are closest to the teams and customers. This allows me to set consistent goals for the business units for the given year. A new addition this time was a series of workshops with our Operations Directors and Project Managers to explore development needs in greater depth. During these workshops, we were able to develop the framework for this year’s edition, including the target audience, program objectives, and specific challenges. As a result, we jointly decided that the participants in this edition will be our technical specialists—developers, testers, and analysts.

4. As for the topics covered in each edition, you focus on a different area every year. What employee skills are being developed? What range of topics does the Ailleron Academy cover?

Last year, the Academy expanded its scope to include two groups—managers and analysts. The first group had the opportunity to participate in workshops on change management and development discussions. The analysts, on the other hand, took part in training sessions on communication and building relationships with clients. In total, we were able to train 55 people. A key factor in the success of last year’s Academy was the high percentage of participants who reported applying the knowledge they gained in practice. This year’s Ailleron Academy focuses primarily on developing communication skills and personal effectiveness. As I mentioned earlier, it is aimed at our developers, testers, and analysts.

5. This variety of topics shows that we strive for the well-rounded development of our employees, without limiting ourselves to a single career path.

Exactly.

6. In that case, tell us more about this year’s event. What interesting things did our Aillerons learn, and what topics were covered this time?

Participants had the opportunity to learn about tools and methods for improving communication, planning, setting priorities, and facilitating meetings—both within teams and with clients. During the first workshop, Aillerons learned, among other things, about the von Thun model, which helped them build understanding, foster engagement, and formulate brief and constructive messages. The second workshop focused on assertiveness and managing one’s own emotions as well as those of the person they’re speaking with. The third workshop centered on improving the skills needed to conduct effective business meetings, prepare for them, and facilitate them. During this session, participants were introduced to tools such as Lean Coffee and the Systemic Onion. The final part was dedicated to building personal effectiveness. Aillerons had the opportunity to try out the RACI matrix and The Responsibility Process.

7. I see a lot of interesting details and concrete knowledge here—that’s great. Now let’s take a closer look at the “other” side—the business side. Does the Ailleron Academy meet the needs of the business world?

This goal forms the foundation of our development programs, including the Ailleron Academy. As I mentioned earlier, our first priority is to help businesses identify competency gaps that can be addressed through an initiative like the Academy. We do this by creating training plans, workshops, and analyzing data from our competency database. Based on this information, we aim to deliver the greatest possible value to businesses. The competencies developed through the Academy lead to improved team performance and, in the long run, to greater customer satisfaction.

8. I've heard positive comments from many participants about the program and the way the classes were conducted, so I assume the final feedback was also positive. Tell me how this edition was evaluated.

I’ll say, without false modesty, that the feedback was very positive. Each of the areas —content , engagement, organization, and practicality—received ratings above 4.5/5. Participants particularly appreciated the usefulness and versatility of the tools they learned about, as well as how easily they could adapt them to their work. Another positive aspect was the use of case studies from everyday work, which Aillerons presented in their needs analysis. Now we’re looking forward to evaluating the long-term effects and examining how the knowledge gained is being applied in practice.

9. That’s very nice to hear. As we know, the participants’ satisfaction and enjoyment are very important. However, planning and organizing a project like this is a major challenge in itself. Tell us what it was like from your perspective.

Preparing for the Academy is always very exciting for me—from gathering feedback on needs to the kickoff meeting for the training series. I love connecting with our Aillerons and talking with them about their desire to grow. We run the Academy in collaboration with external companies, so market analysis isn’t just about comparing offers—it’s also an opportunity to meet many inspiring and experienced trainers. Summing up the project, especially when the feedback is positive, is just as rewarding. I feel that by organizing this initiative, I’m contributing to the growth not only of the organization but also of each of our Aillerons’ skills. Because of the focus on soft skills, I know that our specialists will also apply them outside the workplace, and this will contribute to their overall personal development. This is a great motivation to organize more initiatives like this and to derive satisfaction from them.

10. How do you feel when it's over?

First and foremost, the satisfaction of having succeeded once again. Gratitude for the trust placed in me and the considerable autonomy I was given in carrying out this project, but also for the team’s support when I needed to step back, reflect, and consider whether I was heading in the right direction. A sense of longing, because I’m eagerly awaiting the next edition.

11. I’d like to say it’s time to take a break, but I know you already have another project in the works, so I’ll wrap up by asking about your plans for the future. When do you start preparing for the next edition of the Academy, and is an idea already taking shape in your mind?

The Academy is our spring project, and we’ll start preparing for it as early as the end of this year. We have a lot of ideas—maybe even too many [laughter]. However, as I mentioned, the key is to respond to our employees’ needs. We’ll see in which direction the #AilleronExperts will want to grow in the next edition.

Thank you for the interview, and we look forward to future developments.