Training BOAC secretaries: A systematic approach

Abstract

In the years before 1967 there had been increasing internal demand in BOAC for secretarial training. The real causes for these demands were not difficult to establish. Not only were bosses dissatisfied with the quality of secretarial work but, in addition, secretaries seemed to feel that they were a neglected training population. There appeared to be few ideas about what kind of training should be given and especially what the training objectives should be. In 1967 it was decided that the General Training Branch should devote some resources to examine the training needs of this group of staff and to produce a systematic model training scheme. Most secretaries receive their basic training in the skills of shorthand and typing at Commercial College or Technical College before joining the company. For those who need further coaching in these subjects, there are a number of courses available. The training described here was not concerned with improvements in these areas of the basic secretarial skills: it was concerned with the concept of the secretary contributing to the effectiveness of the executive for whom she worked. By providing training based on needs identified in interviews with a large sample of BOAC bosses and their secretaries and allowing for feedback and follow‐up, a training system was established which is flexible and has been updated and adapted to particular needs. In this first article, the investigations leading to the design of training and a few typical training sessions are described. A later article will describe the arrangements made for monitoring, evaluating and modifying the system with some results of the evaluation exercise.

Citation

MURRAY, P.E. (1971), "Training BOAC secretaries: A systematic approach", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 3 No. 6, pp. 252-258. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb003139