AIB’s learning and development programme for graduates – a case study of a strategic initiative

This paper describes AIB’s Learning and Development Programme (LDP) for graduates, developed in 1999. AIB saw it as imperative to ensure that the investment being made by the organization on the recruitment front was well used to ensure that graduates were developed and retained within the organisation and that the return on investment was maximised. The LDP had to be compatible with the existing culture of the organisation and support both the short‐term objectives of the individual and long‐term business needs of the organisation. The research into, implementation of, and outcomes following the introduction of the LDP are discussed.