1. 2016 Early Talent
Development Report
Whitepaper Brief

2. 2016 Early Talent Development Report © 2016 Kwantum Leap Group Pte Ltd 2
Why we
did it
Driven by the beliefs that (1) there
is so much we fail to understand
about such programmes, (2) there
is very little meaningful research into
programmes and (3) data analytics
has so much to offer in this field,
we set out to uncover as many
truths as possible.
The first and largest
of these truths being
that, with this work,
we have only just
scratched the surface.
What we
did and
who we
did it for
The 2016 Early Talent Development Report
is the culmination of almost a year’s worth
of research and analysis, determined to provide
Graduate Employers, HR Professionals and
Managers with facts and insights that can
be used and applied in a practical way.
Armed with a slew of questions and using
a bottom-up approach that kept our data raw,
honest and unbiased, we were able to amass
tens of thousands of unique data points,
which were then meticulously analysed.
200+
question
250+
sources
50,000+
data points
2016 Early Talent
Development Report
Management Associate, Management Trainee,
Future Leaders Programme…do a quick online search
and you will see how popular these buzzwords are.
These structured development programmes for fresh
graduates (both undergraduates & post-graduates)
not only enhance the initial induction and training,
but also include subsequent development of the
candidates, including on-the-job training, mentorship
and networking opportunities, with a promise
of fast-tracking up the career ladder.
But how effective are these early talent development
programmes? Are they worth the increasingly high
operational costs? And how can one articulate
and measure the Return on Investment (ROI)
of such a programme?
In this whitepaper, we summarise key highlights
of our year-long research that will answer these
questions. By taking a bottom-up, data-driven
approach, our research will suggest ways to measure
programme ROI, and tell you what key elements
are required in a successful programme. We will
also give you actionable insights to help you, whether
you’re thinking of modifying an existing programme
or designing a new one from scratch.

3. 2016 Early Talent Development Report © 2016 Kwantum Leap Group Pte Ltd 3
Start with Your Key Success Indicators
Our most important finding is that being absolutely
clear on the main purpose of your programme is the
key to success. There is no “one size fits all” programme,
or a “killer” programme that can achieve all objectives.
This target objective must be decided within the context
of your organisation together with critical stakeholders,
ensuring it aligns to your business strategy and
workforce requirements.
Once the objective is well defined, the proper programme
elements can be selected and customised to ensure
the overall effectiveness and success of your investment.
From our report, you will see that some objectives may
require huge investment in a specific element, while for
a different objective, the opposite is needed. Our data
will also show you that having “the best” of something
(e.g. great managers) may not always be required
to achieve the desired results.
Not Everything Included in a Programme Contributes Towards Success
Determining what has an impact and what that impact
means is a complex task. However, the benefits are clear
in that optimising a programme will maximise its impact
whilst minimising costs and doubts amongst senior
stakeholders.
On the following pages and throughout this whitepaper,
you will be presented with findings that will help
you focus on the things that matter.
Key Success Indicators
By starting with the end in mind, not only
is a clear sense of purpose and direction gained,
but the way is paved for measuring success,
and ultimately, your ROI.
We’ve identified 7 Key Success Indicators
of which we detail 6. As there is already a wealth
of information on the 7th (“attraction”), we have
consciously chosen to avoid it. The Key Success
Indicator(s) you select will depend wholly on what
you want to achieve from the programme.
Programme
Satisfaction
Learning & Personal
Development
Productivity
Career Progress
Individual Impact
Retention
Attraction

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Focus on the Things that Matter
With over 50 findings presented in detail within
the full report, there are plenty of facts to be
considered and a multitude of changes that one
can make to a programme depending on your
Key Success Indicators. Throughout our research
however, it was clear that certain elements have
much larger reach and can impact a
Key Success Indicator in different ways.
Full details can be found in our main report
but highlighted below are the three most
influential items:
1. Managers are the one element that can influence each and every Key Success Indicator.
A Manager’s influence is felt whether your
aim is to create a great programme experience
or to fast-track candidates.
For example, as one would expect, one
of the critical roles played by a Manager is that
of teacher. Managers who are willing and able
to teach can enhance learning by 28%.
The impact of teaching is even more pronounced
when there is no programme as the Manager
will not only enhance learning, but directly impact
productivity, programme satisfaction
and career progress.
28%
2. On-the-job training remains an important part of programmes.
Whilst workshops and e-learning are a minimum
requirement of any programme, it is the impact
of on-the-job training that really stands out.
It has an impact on individual learning,
and career progress.
Good on-the-job training relates closely
to a candidate’s actual career progress.
In fact, candidates that reported a good
on-the-job experience were 92% more likely
to be promoted.
92%

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Geographical rotations failed to influence
any Key Success Indicator positively. In fact,
the only time it was considered favourable was
when it was combined with a functional rotation.
Both e-learning and professional qualifications
correlate negatively to career progress. In other
words, the more you do, the less or slower
you progress.
Having no programme is not always a bad thing
although the needs of your early talent will differ
quite substantially. For example, more emphasis
is placed on Managers and their level of experience.
There were Some Surprises
3. The end of the programme
counts for a lot.
The programme-end experience can improve
a candidate’s reported satisfaction with
a programme by over 15%. This is unsurprising
since an individual’s experience is heavily
influenced by events that happen towards
the end of a programme.
There are a number of activities that can form
part of the final transition off the programme.
For example, meeting the manager of the team
you will finally join can improve an experience;
however, only 20% of programmes make
it a core part of a programme.

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Highlights of Major Findings
Finding
#1
The length and structure of programmes vary
tremendously across industries and companies.
The Oil & Gas and
FMCG industries not only
consistently offer the longest
programmes (24 to 36 months
and more), but also manage
to retain employees the longest
- quite commonly up to 3 years
after a programme has ended.
By comparison, Financial
Services, Banking, Healthcare
and Pharmaceuticals, will
tend to offer 12 to 24 month
programmes, and are reported
to keep employees for only half
as long (18 months) after.
$
Findings can be classified
into three categories.
• Descriptive findings attempt
to explain the actual
practices and shed light
on the underlying nature
of programmes and their
individual elements.
• Quick Wins are findings
that can be applied immediately
to rectify situations within
an organisation.
• Deep Impact insights
require more thought and
investigation before a solution
can be applied.
The following findings have
been selected to demonstrate
the range of information you
can expect in the full report.
The most common length for a programme was 13 to 24 months. The data below displays
that almost 90% of organisations that invest in early talent development programmes
opt for longer rather than shorter programmes.
The percentage of reported programmes by length
20%
10%
30%
40%
50%
0%
Programmes
under a
month long
1-6 month
programme
7-12 month
programme
13-24 month
programme
Programme longer
than 24 months
7 5
24 48 16
Quick
Win
Deep
Impact

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Finding
#15
As with culture, inductions and orientations
are critical in stating and discussing
expected performance.
Overall, 24% of all respondents felt that, in spite of whether they were considered high potential
employees or not, they were not clear on what performance standards were.
Thought. Are you discussing expectations with new joiners as early as possible? Do your
messages align with those being shared on campus? Do they know what standards they
are expected to meet and maintain?
are clear they are
high-potential talent.
After induction
70.3%
Only
know what this means
though and what
is required or expected.
76.8%
Quick Win

8. 2016 Early Talent Development Report © 2016 Kwantum Leap Group Pte Ltd 8
Finding
#24
On-the-job training does not necessarily
enhance learning and can actually have
a negative impact.
Only well-executed on-the-job training helps.
Poorly executed training can account for as much
as a 41% decline in learning over those who don’t
receive anything structured.
Of the top 5 hurdles faced by candidates
(see below), two have practical tactical solutions
(instructions/objectives and documentation);
the other three represent cultural issues either
at the organisation or within the team.
In addition to the statistical
data, anecdotal feedback
revealed some of the root
causes underlying poor
on-the-job experiences.
“[There was]
a bias against
people on the
programme”
“6-month rotations
too short. So often not
taken seriously as a
resource. Not trained
properly…”
“Team’s lack
of experience
in training
graduates”
Thought. If there are clear cultural issues within a team, do you want a fresh candidate to be
exposed to this kind of environment? And, if this team requested for one of these candidates,
are they deserving of one?
35%
Other
9%
Constantly changing environment
16%
Team not available/Everyone busy
15%
Unclear instructions/objectives
13%
Afraid of failing/making mistakes
12%
Poor documentation
Unsolicited Responses
Top 5 hurdles faced by candidates
Deep Impact

9. 2016 Early Talent Development Report © 2016 Kwantum Leap Group Pte Ltd 9
Increasingly, organisations are challenged to do more
with less, to be more commercially minded about how
they run their programmes. Their budgets are cut and
resources are constrained. It is unrealistic to believe that
a programme can meet every Key Success Indicator.
As a programme manager or designer, deciding which
of these to aim for might be the biggest determinant
of success in the end so they need to choose wisely.
These insights can go a long way to helping Graduate
Employers critically evaluate their programmes. However,
the first step is to determine the Key Success Indicator(s)
specific to an individual programme. Account for
the needs of an organisation, of the departments,
the Managers and so on. Once that is complete,
select items that will add the most value. Invest the time,
effort and money in these, ensuring your programmes
are optimised and maximised for impact.
Take brave, considered and concrete steps towards optimising your programme.
Define Success
Start with the end in mind;
an end that everyone
can buy into. Define the
Key Success Indicators
for each programme,
together with your key
stakeholders.
Critically Evaluate
Conduct a 360
degree review of your
programme(s) to
understand what works
within your context. Apply
advanced analytical
techniques to uncover the
realities underpinning your
programme(s) and the
various elements within.
Optimise
Optimise your programme
to maximise impact and
reduce costs. Determine
how you will measure
your ROI and design/re-
design your programme
accordingly. Select only
those elements that matter
to the end goal.
Embrace the New
Be brave. Disconnect from
old habits and unfounded
beliefs; focus on what
actually has an impact.
Implement the new design
and measure your ROI
on a regular basis.
Conclusion
Our Recommendation
1 2 3 4

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Kwantum Leap Solutions
Is it time to rethink your programmes?
What We Do
Programme Benchmarking
Opt for a diagnostic package
that will reveal the current state
of your programme(s), help
identify quick-wins and inspire
both tactical and strategic
changes.
Targeted Assessment
Take a targeted package that
will delve into the detail of these
element(s). Identify causes of
a problem; quantify impact;
discover major obstacles;
get a tailored solution along with
a business case for change.
Thorough Programme Review
Get the complete package.
Combine diagnostic and targeted
elements to understand every
aspect of a programme and re-
design specific elements or the
entire thing.
New Programme Design
Let’s start by assessing your
context and defining your
objectives. Using our proprietary
market research, you will get a
programme that is optimised
for you, using the techniques
guaranteed to have the desired
impact.
Hopefully these facts and insights have been eye-opening. Our hope
is that you can use these findings to complement the work you are
already doing, whether it is to justify your investment, tweak your
programme, re-design it completely or as a basis for building a new
one. We are not going to assume we know what you need but should
you be stuck as to how to start or need, a helping hand with reviewing
your programme, Kwantum Leap is at your service.
Kwantum Leap Solutions burdens the admin and complexity associated
with auditing your programmes. Guided by your requirements, our
solutions deliver critical data into your hands hassle-free. Additionally,
our solutions can help you (together with all key stakeholders) define
your Key Success Indicator(s), design your optimal programme and
establish your key performance indicators; all with a view to giving
you a clear return on investment.
How We Do It
About Us
What You Get
Kwantum Leap Solutions takes the 360R™ approach. In order to gather
precise, accurate and meaningful data, multiple different perspectives
are considered: Programme sponsors, programme administrators,
line managers, current and past participants. Through a series
of interviews, surveys and observations, you can rest assured that
you will have the best data.
Through the application of analytical techniques such as regression and
triangulation, you will also receive the most informative insights, enabling
you to make better decisions.
1. Heat maps to identify areas for improvement
2. A roadmap for the journey from current to desired state
3. A business case for your programme
4. Quantifiable analysis and measurement of your ROI
This is where Kwantum Leap Solutions really add value.
With over 15 years in coaching & consulting, we have deep hands-on
expertise with early talent being embedded as trusted career advisors
at top universities across Asia & abroad, including Cambridge, HKUST,
INSEAD & NUS. We also bring a unique global perspective to help
government agencies and major corporations such as Barclays,
Deloitte and Polycom.
For more information on how we can be of service, contact us.
Jonathan Kwan
+65 8305 6236 jon@kwantumleapcoaching.com
Matthew Jurado
+65 9657 2704 matthew@kwantumleapcoaching.com