We should note that managers are usually included in general corporate education and training activities. Whereas ALT for new hires has become a widespread priority, fewer firms tend to offer such activities to newly hired managers (Bélanger et al., 2004). The firms affected do so by mentoring new or young managers, but it seems that the mentors are not given any organized preparation to that end.

To be sure, one very large biopharmaceutical company stands out in the study by Bélanger et al. (2004) for its very elaborate process of developing mentoring for young or future managers. Under this program, some thirty-five employees, selected in advance, are each paired with a mentor from the senior ranks of company management. At the start of the program, mentors will receive training in interactive communication, empathy and the ability to convey knowledge and expertise, while participants will also be entitled to a preparatory session to help them define their own areas of interest and specific training needs in order to create more balanced and less dependent interaction with the mentor. The program lasts twelve months and involves at least one hour-long meeting each week. The content varies with the mentoring pairings. ^{Footnote 53} This particularly innovative example seems for the time being to be an exception in the area of ALT for management.

As in the case of ALT for production employees, we find various types of specific activities of a general nature or specific standards-linked training courses for managers. The general activities designed for managers, which are valued and frequent in the cases studied by Bélanger et al. (2004), deal, for example, with the importance of service and a good knowledge of the products, a knowledge of English to permit better communication between the managers and customers in new foreign markets, recruiting, staff selection and management, preparing requests for outside training, methods of conducting interviews, marketing, stress management, etc.

Specific education and training may be more focused in order to reflect the more individualized responsibilities of managers in the different sectors: writing reports, conflict negotiation, stress management, team work, prioritizing work.

In the case of standards-related training in the companies observed by Bélanger et al. (2004), many short specific courses are given to managers to teach them how to better manage technical health and safety issues or to give them a better knowledge of the legislation and regulations in this area. Such training is given primarily by outside providers or educational institutions.

The choice of ALT for managers also depends on the company's context. The level of investment in such ALT will differ with the size or nature of the company (e.g. franchise operation or independent company). For example, the training provided to the managers of one small company studied by Bélanger et al. (2004), i.e. the founder, his two sons and a supervisor, seemed aimed at encouraging resourcefulness and a do–it–yourself attitude, or more thorough training for up-and-coming managers. The chain with which this company is affiliated makes management training activities available to it, but for a price: approximately $300-400 per activity, not to mention additional costs in salary and travel. However, one member of management did manage to take a self- financed distance training course organized by the chain in partnership with a university.

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