Grenoble Joins Forces with French National Railway Service SNCF to Train Agents in Service Management

Grenoble, France, February 27, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The aim of the training is to place the customer and traveller’s needs at the centre of all SNCF activities.

The training is open to all SNCF supervisors such as train drivers, ticket controllers, and all other train agents, who wish to develop an expertise in service management in order to attain executive positions within the SNCF.

Grenoble Ecole de Management has been selected for its expertise within the field of service management. For 3 years now, with a strong partnership with the Académie du Service (Accor Services), this institution has developed trainings and applied research agendas for multi-national companies such as Renault and Total through its Institute for Service Management.

The training

The 500-hour non-degree program will run over an 11 month period

The training is based on four major areas: 1) Managerial skills; 2) Managers and their teams; 3) Tools for successful management and 4) Strategic tools.

Phase 1 includes English language modules, and courses on ‘Service marketing’; ‘Public speaking’; ‘Organizational theories’; ‘Individual and collective effectiveness’; ‘Marketing Management’; ‘Management law’; ‘Leadership’; ‘Stress management’; ‘Management of quality of service’.

During Phase 2, participants will sit courses including in: ‘Managing and motivating your team’ and ‘Interpersonal communication and managing tensions’.

Phase 3 includes lectures on: ‘Communication’; ‘Sales techniques in service management’; ‘Process management’; ‘Social relations management’ and ‘Safety and security management’.

Finally, Phase 4 includes modules on: ‘Decision making in complex environments’; ‘Institutional relations management’; ‘Inter-generational management’.

Selection process:
SNCF agents wishing to take part in the program went through a selection process which consists of a written exam on service management, an English test and oral exam. The English test did not count towards the qualifying round but served to measure the level of participants so that faculty at Grenoble Ecole de Management could adapt the English courses accordingly.

Twenty-six Successful participants began classes at Grenoble Ecole de Management on 8th September 2008.

There are 10 men and 16 women, with an average age of 32.

Grenoble Ecole de Management has been contracted to provide this training for a minimum of 5 years.

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