Learning and development opportunities are talent magnets. Just ask Tara Castillo-Embuscado, who, as a fresh graduate nearly a decade ago, joined Thomson Reuters as a Spanish news analyst in the markets division.

Thomson Reuters is the world’s largest information provider for financial, legal, tax and accounting, and scientific and health-care professionals, powered by the world’s largest news media organization.

“I was essentially looking for a security blanket in my first job—one where I would be trained and equipped so that I can be ‘agile’ enough to take on new roles for long-term career growth and security,” she shared on hindsight.

This proved to hold true for Embuscado, who, after being a language specialist for seven years, made the leap last year to the company’s legal editorial operations, one of several Thomson Reuters business groups to set up shop in Manila. She and her colleagues now serve clients who need the most current information available on the US legal system for research and business.

Said Peter Buenaseda, human resources director, “We want people who are aware of their strengths and know where they want to go because Thomson Reuters offers its employees the chance to move in different directions. We have legal operations managers who came from content markets, for example, or people who started in Manila and ended up in New York.”

Embuscado added, “Training opportunities within the company give us the confidence to consider new roles as new businesses are created within the company. Establishing your chosen career is hard enough but even more so when you choose to chart new territories. I learned firsthand that employees willing to learn, coupled with a company providing training and growth opportunities, result in professional creativity and unlimited potential.”

Competitive advantage tools

“Thomson Reuters employees are given the right tools and resources at their disposal so they can truly be professionals, providing vital information to the world’s businesses and professionals who put them into action,” said Buenaseda.

Thomson Reuters combines industry expertise with the use of the latest innovative technology to provide highly critical information for the world’s leading decision-makers not only in legal but also financial, tax and accounting, scientific, health care and media markets.

When the legal editorial operations launched in 2009, Embuscado was in the first batch who underwent two months of training in Thomson Reuters offices in Eagan, Minnesota.

“That training widened my professional perspective. It meant endless growth for me. Working with people globally and belonging to a local team, too, built both skills and relationships. I want to keep building my capabilities through training to stay flexible as exciting changes happen,” she said.

Not a job but a career

Like Embuscado, Sahlee Critica’s growth within the organization shows how passion and expertise enable employees to seize opportunities even across businesses. Before joining the legal operations operations in 2009, Sahlee was the team manager of the Manila economics team under the Content Investment and Advisory group in the Thomson Reuters markets division.

For five years, she was responsible for daily operations, training and the migration of Asian, European, US and Latin-American financial markets from other global content centers to Manila. For over a year, she participated in database integration and migration projects, and was recognized for her performance in 2009 with a Customer Satisfaction Champion Award and the Manila Achievement Award, the highest recognition for individuals and teams in Thomson Reuters Manila.

Critica was also part of the “Wave One” training in Minnesota as team manager for legal editorial operations under the Product Delivery and Management group. “This was where we learned about the legal business group and workflow that we eventually brought here in Manila. Our team supports Westlaw—one of the most extensive and current online legal database for students and professionals worldwide. It offers an enormous range of resources for court decisions, litigation and tax laws, among others.”

Critica was particularly struck by the employees she had met during her Minnesota training. “Meeting employees who liked what they do and the company they belong to was very encouraging. World-class training truly means world-class talent—better at everyday collaboration, customer service, and raising performance. It really does foster a corporate culture that attracts and retains the brightest minds who work across various cultures, countries, and professions.”