Human Resources

Developing skills and expanding opportunities for advancement

From integration of new hires to training for seniors, Total supports the development of employees throughout their career. A range of career management resources is deployed, coupled with an extensive training policy. Training must equip each employee to effectively meet the challenges of increasingly complex projects, evolving energy issues and the geographic expansion of our operations.

A training policy for the long term

As the roughly €340 million we invest annually makes clear, Total sees training as one of the best ways to sharpen our competitive edge. We strive to tailor the training we offer to individual needs, from the time of hire throughout the employee’s career, in order to maintain a high level of skills and employability and facilitate advancement and career changes, at Total or elsewhere. Geographically, our training effort is more intensive in our fast-growing regions, with an annual average of more than 12 training days per employee in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.


Jours de formation

Average number of training
days per employee per year


Training by type



Total supports its employees from hiring until they leave their employment and offers them regular opportunities to upgrade their skills. All employees can receive training tailored to their needs throughout their careers. They can expand their technical or management skills, update their knowledge and share their experiences and/or corporate values.

Instructional methods are tailored to regional needs or professional disciplines and include workstation training, on-the-job training, mentoring and the transfer of knowledge and skills to local residents.


Corporate social responsibility awareness for everyone

The Total Corporate University was created in 2005 to provide a forum for analysis and discussion on issues affecting the future of our businesses and to enhance Total’s social and technological image.


The Middle-East Seminar at the Université Total

Each year, thousands of employees, especially managers and new hires, take part in various programs to further educate them about our ethical, environmental and industrial safety responsibilities. Université Total has steadily expanded the range of topics it covers since its creation. In 2008, the corporate university enrolled another 3,000-plus employees in its conferences, courses and seminars, which feature input from leading experts.

Pinpoint career management

Human Resources teams are working to make career management more transparent and appropriate for each employee, to enable them to optimize their career paths at Total. Since June 2008, for example, all employees in France have been able to consult job openings on the JOB Posting intranet. The site enables employees to apply on their own and at the same time helps career managers identify applicants they might otherwise not have known about. The JOB Posting intranet should be accessible outside France in 2009.


To strengthen this shared resource base, a dedicated set of tools is deployed in all units. They include specific job descriptions and evaluations using the Hay method, resource planning for key positions, identification of high potentials, annual performance reviews (APR) for everyone, including an assessment of mobility opportunities, and a career interview every two to three years.

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