Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), the European division of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc., is a major video game company specialising in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony. The company was established in 1993, prior to the launch of the original PlayStation video game system. Sony Computer Entertainment handles the research & development, production, and sales of both hardware and software for the PlayStation line of handheld and home console video game systems. It is also a developer and publisher of video game titles and is composed of several subsidiaries covering the company’s biggest markets: North America, Europe and Asia.

Training Ob­jectives

The key requirements of the programme were to:

• Provide training in European and Japanese languages to improve communication across the company
• Maximise return on investment through high levels of delegate attendance
• Ensure training is offered company-wide to those with a genuine business need or have shown commitment in the past for development purposes

Challenges

The key challenges were identified as:

• Motivating SCEE employees and elevating the status of language training to ensure that the minimum target of 75% attendance of all sessions was achieved
• Adapting the core content to the individual needs of the group learners
• Providing a flexible solution to cater for busy diaries and limited availability

Training Approach

Communicaid and SCEE worked in close partnership to ensure that the training met the learning styles of employees. An open day allowed current and new delegates to ask questions and find out more about this important learning initiative. Detailed pre-training questionnaires and language assessments allowed Communicaid to develop a targeted company-wide language training programme.

Our Solution

• Professional company-wide language training in all required languages
• Training scheduled to meet the busy working day of SCEE employees
• Constantly updated management information made available to managers and delegates to monitor progress and ensure high levels of attendance and employee satisfaction
• Cross-cultural training for senior Directors and Managers to assist SCEE (UK) to gain a more effective understanding of their international colleagues

Results

SCEE now has a number of employees working towards being competent in a second language. Due to the high levels of sustained attendance, the company-wide language training programme has helped SCEE to engage and motivate its employees while ensuring that the significant investment delivered tangible benefits to the company in the form of increased communication across all SCEE territories and improved staff morale and retention.

Based on the success of the training delivered and the customer service provided, SCEE has regularly renewed their agreement with Communicaid.

Client Feedback

“Thanks to Communicaid’s language training we have been able to not only improve communication across our territories and with our parent company in Japan, but also engage and motivate employees further by offering language training as an incentive.” Learning and Development Manager, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe