Namrata Kaler explores how learning and development became one of The Smart Cube’s greatest strengths – and what that means for Smart Cubers today.
The Smart Cube is recognised across our industry as one of the best places to begin a career, or take one to the next level.
From being a certified Great Place to Work to the high flexibility offered to all “Smart Cubers”, there are a lot of reasons for that. But one of the biggest and most impactful is our commitment to the continuous training, upskilling, and development of our people at every stage of their careers.
Over the years, it’s become one of our organisation’s greatest strengths – and that hasn’t happened by accident. Here are five pillars that we follow to help us create and deliver truly standout training and development experiences.
Pillar 1: Every journey starts strong
Great training and development journeys start on an employee’s first day in their role. But at The Smart Cube, we go one better – delivering a dedicated four-week induction programme for new campus hires, before their roles begin.
Throughout the four-week programme, new joiners are mentored by long-standing SmartCubers, across a mixture of classroom training sessions and self-driven learning exercises. This process gives us a chance to get to know our new colleagues and their career aspirations really well, while helping them understand who we are, and the work we do.
In most cases, a SmartCuber’s role isn’t defined until the end of that 4-week process. The training exercises we conduct help us identify where in our organisation they’d be most comfortable, engaged, and effective, setting them on a course to long-term success and satisfaction.
By starting with a ‘blank slate’ and building up a clear picture of how each SmartCuber works and thinks, we can identify the best development path for them, which has proven to be an incredibly strong foundation for high-velocity growth and career progression.
Pillar 2: We look beyond technical skill
When you’re working in areas like business intelligence and analytics where technology and practices are constantly evolving, it’s important to stay on top of skills development and keep everyone up to speed. But, there’s much more to great development than technical training alone.
Our approach to training and development requires strong managers and mentors. So, after the first year of a SmartCuber’s training, we expand the scope of their learning to include managerial skill development. This helps them not only prepare for their next role but also ensure that as they grow, they can keep helping new colleagues develop and follow in their footsteps.
Cultural immersion and interpersonal development are also both incredibly important parts of every SmartCuber’s development journey. Outbound experiential training events give employees a chance to take on new challenges outside of the office and connect with our company culture and values in a fun and engaging setting.
It’s that combination of cultural connection, strong relationships, and exceptional technical skills that truly makes SmartCubers what they are.
Pillar 3: We let SmartCubers drive their own development
Our four-week induction programme gives new joiners a lot of say in how their career journey with us goes. And crucially, that voice isn’t taken away from them once they actually begin in their roles.
Regular meetings and chats with line managers give SmartCubers the chance to frequently tell us where they want their journey to take them next. From there, we can provide the right resources to help them, or just give them the time and freedom to take those steps themselves – whatever works best for them.
We also recognise that not everybody wants to drive their own development. So, those same regular meetings are also an opportunity for managers to provide guidance and input on development opportunities that might be right for each SmartCuber. That blend of personal and manager input helps keep everyone on a learning and progression path that’s right for them.
Pillar 4: We practice what we preach
Across many of our customer engagements – especially those in the analytics space – The Smart Cube strongly advocates for Centres of Excellence (CoEs). Building an analytics CoE can help develop strong analytical skills, leading insight strategies, and reusable assets and models that the entire organisation can benefit from. So, we apply the same principle to training and development.
Our internal Training Centre of Excellence (TraCE) enables us to continuously devise new learning approaches and resources that are then rolled out across the organisation. And if anyone needs training that we don’t have the expertise to deliver ourselves, we invite external trainers to help us hone and develop the relevant skills and bring new perspectives to our organisation.
There’s always someone to talk to, and always a team working on new ways of helping SmartCubers be the best they can be.
Pillar #5: Learning never stops
All too often, training and development efforts are heavily focused on those early in their careers. But as the world and industry we operate in evolve, every SmartCuber needs to be supported to evolve alongside them, and stay at the forefront of innovation and best practice.
To do that, we created RISE – our Resource Integration and Skill Enhancement programme. With RISE, we curate day-long learning programmes that are designed to develop skills needed at every stage of a person’s growth journey. Most recently, we held monthly 3-hour training sessions for all our Client Leads all over the world – whether they work onshore or offshore.
Additionally, we also provide ad-hoc training and learning opportunities for all levels, including on-demand access to a range of MOOC courses. Every SmartCuber has their own annual course allowance that they can use through their platform of choice – giving them true freedom of development.
Take the right next step. We’ll take things from there.
Whether you’re looking for the ideal place to begin your career and make big strides fast, or you’d like to take the next step with an organisation that will continually invest in you, we’re always looking for the best new talent.
To explore our latest opportunities, or learn more about what life as a SmartCuber looks like, visit https://www.thesmartcube.com/about-us/careers/.