INTERVIEWER: MAHMOUD MANSI
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Being in the business development field since 2004, how do you think Egypt’s awareness towards training has been affected? And what do you think was the major aspect that affected it, was it politics, prices, salaries, competition…etc?
Hassan Ibrahim: First let me clarify that training and development culture is linked to the ability to make a change. In countries all over the world, the scale of awareness of the training and development culture is related to the belief of that society in the size and importance of the human factor in making any change, the ability and efficiency of the person himself to make a change in his life, the ability of the team in any company to develop its business and people’s ability to make a change in their lifestyle and future.
The comparison between the huge size of the manpower in Egypt and the Egyptian training market size shows that there is still a gap between the size of the existing manpower and the size of its productivity.
It’s worth mentioning that the training market has flourished during the period between 2004 and 2010 as a result of the access of international companies and foreign investments, and the increased demand of qualified employees. This has reflected on the size and quality of the training services that were available at that time. But after 25th January revolution and as a result of the unusual events, the Egyptian market has witnessed political and security-related instabilities. So the market attitude has been directed towards training as a natural result of minimizing many companies of their business in the Egyptian market, in addition to the future vision being vague. However, in the recent period, signs of recovery have appeared in the market and it is expected to see an increase in stability.
Prices and fame have the most effect on the training decision for the individuals. As for companies and organizations, quality and the effectiveness of training on the trainees’ performance are the main factors in taking the training decision.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: From your experience and point of view, what kind of training programs do employees lack and strongly need in Egypt’s organizations? Also, what kind of courses are the most demanded by organizations in Egypt?
Hassan Ibrahim: Leadership and teamwork skills are from the most eminent programs that companies and the Egyptian business environment need. Most companies give training in basic business skills; communication, time management…etc., added to the needed skills for sales teams, customer service and call centers through Internal Trainers in most of these companies and especially the larger ones.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: From you point of view, what are the qualifications that mark a good trainer in harmony with the Egyptian business environment?
Hassan Ibrahim: The continuous development of professional skills according to international developments as well as knowing the real goals of the trainees, and helping each of them in achieving their goals.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Your company does not have a large number of employees yet it manages to be very productive. How do you manage to motivate your employees to produce this work?
Hassan Ibrahim: After selecting individuals that share the same values as hpa, implanting the concept of “ownership” in every individual in the team is the key. This makes it easier to maintain a long-term relationship that aims to achieve the goals of both parties ‘hpa-team’, making it a win-win relationship.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: As a training, consulting and recruitment company, what is the first course you provide to your employees, and why?
Hassan Ibrahim: hpa values; as by understanding these values it will be easy for a newcomer to understand many tasks and how to do them. The company seeks to present role models on both the professional and personal level.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: In your company, to what extent do you consider the courses taken by an employee in their promotion? What other elements do you consider in a promotion?
Hassan Ibrahim: Besides professional skills and the specialized training programs, it will be leadership, planning, fairness, efficiency, and the ability to be a role model to others.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Many trainees find difficulty in applying what they learnt in courses in their actual work. Do you have any advice for them?
Hassan Ibrahim: First, make sure that the training program subject and its timing are appropriate to the professional life of the trainee. Second, make sure that the trainer and the training provider are professional, and that the program is mainly designed to be applicable in the Egyptian market
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: Many organizations provide training programs to their employees while the decision makers know that these programs can hardly be applied in Egypt’s business environment. Yet they provide it as a routine-breaker to motivate their employees by doing a different activity and as a kind of employee-care service. Do you have or recommend any kind of programs that can be more practical in our Egyptian business environment? Can you provide a free consultation to the organizations on how they can help their employees implement what they have studied?
Hassan Ibrahim: Unfortunately, companies that count on copied foreign training programs, alongside the lack of qualified trainers who are able to design programs that suit the work environment in Egypt, lead to implementing programs that have a weak effect on the employees’ behavior and performance. Specialized training providers can be depended on when it comes to delivering the training programs that are repeated continuously accompanied by a manual for the trainer.
HR Revolution Middle-East Magazine: When you hire employees, what are the skills and talents you look for, and why? How can one apply to be part of your organization?
Hassan Ibrahim: What affects our choice of the new employees is their behavior and values. They should be the same as hpa; we hire for attitude. Following that, their skills in using the computer matter as most of our jobs depend on computers.
You can follow us on our website or our Facebook page to be updated on our open vacancies. You can also send your CV to our recruitment sector: rec@hpa.com.eg
