Hilton Pushes e-learning Program

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. October 14, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, August 7, 2006. For the second year running, global hotel group, Hilton, part of Hilton Hotels Corporation, has proved that there is a link between employee development and reduced staff turnover.

According to the findings of a recent team member survey, being given the opportunity to develop through Hilton University - the group's online learning platform - encourages employees to remain loyal.

The survey was completed by more than 1,500 team members across all parts of the Hilton group worldwide. 40 per cent say that being given development opportunities is the main factor reason why they are continuing their career with Hilton. A further 49 per cent say that although it isn't the main factor, being given the chance to develop professionally is very important to them.

Hilton team members across the globe are able to access a wide range of learning activities through Hilton University. These include: 550 SkillSoft e-learning courses - covering business, professional and IT skills; Books24x7 Referenceware - featuring best-selling management, business and technology books and reference materials; online mentoring and virtual classrooms.

The survey, whose participants remained anonymous, took place online during May 2006. As well as helping to prove the link between training and staff loyalty, it also highlighted how learning is being applied in the workplace; over 70 per cent believe that what they learned yesterday during a learning activity can be used today in their work.

Commenting on the survey findings, Kevin Young, General Manager of SkillSoft EMEA said: "The fact that such a significant number of people are so quickly putting into practice what they've learned is a good example of the value of just-in-time learning. Being able to use new skills and knowledge immediately means that they are more likely to be retained and used again."

The survey also looked at where team members like to learn; respondents overwhelmingly prefer to learn at their desks or at home, although an increasing number of people like to use the dedicated Learning Zones within Hilton hotels and offices.

HR managers, e-learning champions and learning managers are continuing to use Hilton University to monitor and support team members as they progress through their individual learning plans. An impressive 90 per cent of respondents are convinced that the resources they access through Hilton University help them with their professional development.

Maarten Staps, International Learning and Development Manager at Hilton who was responsible for the study, said: "After conducting this study for the second year, it is encouraging to see that an even greater proportion of team members are remaining loyal to Hilton due to the development opportunities offered through Hilton University. This will have an inevitable impact on the business, both in terms of increased productivity as well as in reduced recruitment costs."

Over 85 per cent of team members rate Hilton University as "very good" or "good" and 99 per cent say that they would recommend it to colleagues.

Hilton has also been nominated this year for a World Travel Award as World's Hotel Brand.