McDonalds - gaining official awarding body status to enhance staff training and to reinforce the strength of the training systems and standards in McDonald's.

Background

                                        
Every year McDonald's invests time, energy, and resources into getting the right people into our business - people who have the potential to deliver an outstanding customer experience. We believe that whether employees join us a stepping stone to another job or stay for a long-term career, our investment in training and development helps unlock their potential and gives them the skills, competence and confidence to develop in their careers and beyond. Our aim is to provide the most comprehensive training in the sector, so that we continue to attract and retain highly motivated and committed employees.

Some facts about our track record in training and development:

• The company invests on average £15 million in training and development in the UK each year
• 80 per cent of McDonald's restaurant management started out as hourly paid crew members 
• One in five McDonald's franchisees started out as hourly paid crew members
• Half of the company's executive team started out in restaurants
• The average tenure for a McDonald's restaurant manager is 10 years
• Staff turnover at McDonald's is now at an all-time low

The Challenge

Whether people join McDonald's as a school leaver or as a university graduate, our approach to recruitment means we employ people with the right attitude rather than qualifications. This approach serves our business well and enables all our employees to achieve their potential regardless of background.

In 2006, we introduced a nationally recognised online learning scheme for all our employees. Accessible through our innovative career and lifestyle website Our Lounge, the scheme enables our 67,000 UK staff to log on and brush up their basic skills. Employees study towards nationally recognised Level 1 and 2, Skills for Life, qualifications assessed in accredited exam centre restaurants.

The natural next step was to develop externally recognised qualifications for our management training. To make this happen we worked with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to participate in the pilot of the Qualification and Credit Framework (QCF). McDonald's is currently working towards a nationally recognised qualification that reflects the specific needs of McDonald's restaurant managers.

Process

In order to become an official awarding body, McDonald's had to achieve the criteria set out by the QCA, which all traditional awarding bodies have to meet. From January 2008, a 'Basic Shift Managers' course will be piloted for one year. The learning programme will be broken into credits, in line with QCF guidelines, to allow the course to be recognised as a qualification on the QCF.

The course will cover everything the 7,000 managers across the country need to know for the day-to-day running of a McDonald's restaurant from basic operational requirements to finance, marketing and HR; and is the first of many courses that they will attend in their career with McDonald's.

Seventy five per cent of our employees say they are proud to work at McDonald's. We believe that external recognition of our internal training will enhance staff pride and our position as a progressive employer. Additional plans to roll out the accredited training across other areas of the business will also help increase staff motivation and retention.

Quote

David Fairhurst, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer from McDonald’s comments: 'Receiving official awarding body status is an important and exciting step for McDonald's. As a progressive employer we are committed to taking a leadership position on training and skills. We want to ensure that our approach to recruitment, training, and development continues to create real opportunities for social mobility.'

'Working with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to become an accredited training provider will increase staff competence as well as confidence, leading to higher levels of Quality, Service & Cleanliness for our customers - a central aim of our business.'