Trade Academy, an innovative internal educational program of Atlantic Grupa created within the sales department itself, is a project conceived in 2022 by a team of Atlantic’s sales experts with the aim of systematically transferring and developing employees’ knowledge, practice, and experience through a unified educational system. Today, it is a functional model connecting five markets: Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Austria, with more than 1,400 participants from sales and distribution involved so far, and recently the training sessions have also started in BiH and Montenegro.
More than 400 training sessions have been held, led by over 60 internal instructors who pass on knowledge and best business practices to their colleagues every day, and Trade Academy has become a powerful tool for strengthening sales competencies, standardizing practices, and creating a culture of knowledge-sharing within the company. In addition to its significant impact on sales itself, employee satisfaction with development has increased thanks to Trade Academy: the average rating of training sessions is 4.8/5, while the Net Promoter Score (NPS) is an impressive 95, confirming the high level of satisfaction and engagement among participants.
The program’s great success has also been recognized by the industry. Recently, Atlantic Grupa won first place in the category of Best HR Practices at this year’s HR Days festival in Rovinj, marking the company’s first gold recognition at this prestigious regional competition, following two silver and one bronze awards.
“Trade Academy is not just an ‘internal school’ that educates, but a platform that connects markets, people, and knowledge. The strength and success of the program lie in our internal trainers and colleagues who share their experiences every day but, importantly, also encourage the exchange of experiences among participants themselves. That’s why employees from different operational sales functions are intentionally invited to specific training sessions, and through the collaboration of different position levels and experiences, we see results at almost every step. We notice increased confidence, knowledge, and motivation among individuals. People better understand how their work affects overall results and take on more responsibility. Another important aspect is the noticeable satisfaction among colleagues that structured investment is being made in them and their knowledge. At the team level, we see improved communication and cooperation, and managers are strengthening their position as leaders, not just operational supervisors. At the business level, the program has contributed to greater efficiency and quality of the sales process, visible in continuously strong results and faster onboarding of new colleagues,” explained Igor Babić, Director of Trade Academy.
The program is continuously being upgraded, and the next phase plans to further integrate digital learning tools and introduce specialized modules with advanced levels of knowledge and competency development for different sales channels and profiles. The goal is for Trade Academy to become not only an educational program but also a kind of hub for the exchange of knowledge and experiences across markets.
“Through the system of internal trainers, Trade Academy ensures sustainability and the transfer of knowledge within the organization, further strengthening the resilience and competence of sales teams. With such an approach, the project not only delivers short-term results but also lays long-term foundations for the development of expertise, leadership, and mutual trust across the entire Atlantic Grupa,” Babić added.
Atlantic Grupa has been among the TOP 10 best employers in Croatia for the past five years, consistently confirming that in today’s challenging work environment, large companies can authentically and consistently care for the well-being of their employees.
