Training and Development

We are committed to providing our employees with professional development experiences to foster a desire for knowledge and a culture of lifelong learning. We are strengthened as an organization by our employees' diversity of talent in sciences, liberal arts, journalism, law, finance, government and marketing disciplines.

We take seriously our responsibility to support professional development. In our view, training and development are not simply part of a career management strategy; they are part of the way we conduct business. We know that our business grows as our people do. And we know that our clients require superior strategic counsel, creativity, critical thinking, and communications skills.

To that end, we have adopted a multi-tiered training model that emphasises appropriate learning at every stage of an employee's career and underscores "the Hill & Knowlton Way" of doing business.

Our goal is to surpass our competitors in terms of employee satisfaction with the availability of training opportunities. Ultimately, all of our courses and training programmes are designed to allow our staff to follow a professional path of their choosing, whether it be as a geographic manager, a global client service leader or an industry sector or practice specialist.

Virtual Academy
Starting early for our entry- and mid-level employees, we offer an innovative corporate e-learning system that combines streaming video and multimedia. Dubbed the Hill & Knowlton "Virtual Academy," this online training opportunity offers an interactive environment for self-paced distance learning. Courses are designed to guide employees through the basics as well as H&K proprietary products and processes.

In addition to e-learning, a wide range of instructor-led training plans are implemented at the local office level. For instance, Hill & Knowlton Singapore staff have the chance to attend special "Pink Bag" lunchtime talks focused on a range of topics related to their professional development, from the latest digital trends in Public Relations, to brainstorming new ways of measuring the effectiveness of communications campaigns.

Continuing Education and Specialty Training
Regional offerings (with international representation) include workshops, practice-specific training, and programmes to advance the learning around industry sectors and services.

Our practices and specialty groups – such as technology, corporate communications, health and pharma, media communications and crisis management – also convene periodically to share industry and trend information with colleagues and guest lecturers from outside the firm, and to conduct training specific to their areas.

WPP Group Opportunities
Our parent, WPP Group, also convenes senior managers and leaders from sister agencies for various specialised programmes and leadership and talent development initiatives. For example, H&K is well represented in “Maestro: Orchestrating Client Value,” a week-long leadership retreat focusing on fostering a higher level of business consulting capabilities and enhancing interpersonal skills.