When Aim was approached by Prudential, the multinational financial services giant, and asked to help transform the language culture of their 700-strong Operations Division here in Jakarta, we knew we would have to think outside the box to get results. Training for all 700 staff was simply impracticable. So, Aim worked closely with the team at Prudential to devise a plan in which 60 of their people were selected as ‘facilitators’, and each was assigned a group of ten colleagues to motivate, support and teach in weekly tutorial sessions. One problem – none of the facilitators knew much about teaching!
The project began with a series of full-day workshops for facilitators at ‘The Pru’. Aim’s instructors introduced basic teaching techniques, as well as strategies to motivate and boost the confidence of their colleagues. Participants were also encouraged to use their imagination, together discovering how teachers can get creative and inject their own personality into their lessons.
Following these workshops, Prudential’s facilitators have been meeting their tutorial groups weekly, conducting structured yet informal tutorials based on tailor-made materials from Aim. Facilitators receive round-the-clock support and encouragement from Aim via email and IM, and meet their Aim instructor at monthly project review sessions.
So far, results have been extremely positive, with early nervousness from the facilitators replaced by enthusiasm and creativity, and reports of lively sessions which all 700 of them look forward to. We’ve been very impressed with everyone at Prudential, and now they’re well on the road to adopting an English-speaking work culture, too.