Crane company raises the standards in employee development : Wide range of programs trains global workforce of tomorrow

Purpose – The purpose of this article was to explore the wide variety of employee-development initiatives at an international manufacturer of lifting equipment. Design/methodology/approach – Examines the reasons for the various programs, the form they take and the results they have achieved. Findings – Describes the company’s system of self-assessment questionnaires, its key leadership competencies, the measurement of leadership quality, the various leadership-development programs, the talent-management system, the employment of apprentices and the company’s new training center. Practical implications – Reveals the wide range of benefits that having a well-trained workforce brings to the company and its clients. Social implications – Highlights the benefits to individual workers, and so to society as a whole, of good employee development. Originality/value – Details the wide variety of ways in which a successful international manufacturing company develops its employees.