Ubisoft 2012 Annual Report Download - page 19

Management Report
2012
14
Skill development
In a sector where continuous innovation, staying on top of technological advances and developing
expertise are key, naturally, all forms of training are a top priority. In recent years, the sector has seen
a significant evolution in online gaming. Ubisoft is training its teams to work on online games and
several of our production studios have since specialized in online gaming so that the Company is
always in a position to provide gamers with innovative new experiences across the range of online
platforms. Furthermore, the development of several games for a new generation of consoles, starting
with the Wii U™ from Nintendo, gives our team the opportunity to master the most advanced
technologies on the video game market today.
Video gaming is a relatively new business compared to other entertainment industries, and adapted
training courses are provided, for the most part, within the Group, complementing on-the-job training.
Training is organized primarily at local level. High-level international corporate university-type training
courses are also offered in the Group’s core business areas, such as game design and gameplay
programming.
Excluding on-the-job training, the training programs offered in financial year 2011/2012 can be
summarized as follows:
- The budget allocated to training (excluding salaries) amounted to €2,782 thousand over the
period.
- 9,598 days of training were provided within the Group.
- The majority of this training dealt with the technical skills required for production work since
47% of the training focused on subjects relating to game production.
- The average number of training hours per employee within the Group amounted to 20.9 hours.
Training also takes place on-the-job through exchanges between teams. Thus, the Group is committed
to creating an environment that encourages skill sharing:
- For more than two years, Ubisoft “Académies” have been providing participants with the
opportunity to develop their skills and forge new contacts within the Company. With a total of
three academies and 30 training sessions, more than 600 studio staff have been given the
opportunity to train, learn and share their experiences.
- Skill-sharing between sites through personal visits is also commonplace. In the financial year
2011/2012, 196 employees traveled on short- and long-term assignments.
- A Group training portal with access to e-learning tools allows people to develop their skills and
knowledge.
- The use of technologies or applications that facilitate exchanges, such as instant messaging,
web conferencing and the use of video as a communication medium, is encouraged.
- Integration and sponsorship programs for new employees are available at most sites. These
allow new recruits to learn about the Group’s fundamental business methods from the outset.
As a true entertainment Company, Ubisoft is also developing the expertise of its teams in new areas
including comic books, book publishing, toys and figurines of our characters, films and TV series.
Links between Ubisoft and related industries (music, film, television, publishing, etc.) are being
developed and exchanges with experts in these industries are encouraged. The overriding objective is
to consolidate its strong brands in order to establish them on several types of media.