Carnival Cruise Lines’ corporate training department was again a big winner at the Human Resources IQ/IQPC Corporate University Best in Class (CUBIC) Awards, earning the title of “Best Mature Corporate University” for the second time. Carnival also won the award in 2005.
The award, which was presented at the organization’s annual conference in Orlando, recognized Carnival for its in-house corporate training programs which are designed to enhance hospitality, safety, communications, leadership and creativity through various professional development initiatives.
“Training is an integral part of our operations and has played a key role in Carnival earning its leadership position in the cruise industry,” said Roberta Jacoby, Carnival’s senior vice president of air/sea operations and corporate training. “To be named ‘Best Mature Corporate University’ twice in four years is a wonderful validation of the emphasis that we place on training and its impact on our guests’ vacation experience,” she added.
Carnival’s employee training initiatives include a variety of custom-designed company-specific programs and videos delivered to a global workforce of 40,000 team members employed aboard 22 ships and within shoreside offices in South Florida and Colorado.
Training initiatives run the gamut from hospitality, management and leadership programs to English as a Second Language (ESOL) programs and government-mandated safety and environmental training.
The company’s corporate training department also produces an in-house employee magazine and conducts comprehensive orientation programs and team-building events for shipboard and shoreside personnel. Sessions are led by Carnival’s corporate trainers who conduct energetic seminars and employ often unconventional instructional methods that encourage participation and enhance learning.
Carnival is the largest and most popular cruise line in the world, with 22 “Fun Ships” operating voyages ranging from three to 18 days in length to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Hawaii, Panama Canal, Canada, New England, Europe, Bermuda and South America. The line currently has two new ships scheduled for delivery between now and 2011. The first of those, the 130,000-ton Carnival Dream, debuts in Europe Sept. 21, 2009.
