A
new middle management training scheme has helped Interbrew UK save time and
increase profitability.
The
business programme was developed in conjunction with Ashridge after the company
said traditional learning was no longer meeting its needs.
Peter
Radcliffe, HR director at Interbrew, said the company looked for a new approach
after the complex takeover of Whitbread: “In the context of the situation the
business was in, we wanted to raise the pace in terms of how we educated middle
management.
“Traditional
classroom learning didn’t educate at a sufficient pace or use methods that
fitted the busy schedule of a modern executive. You also tend to get the same
content regardless of your needs,” he said.
The
new course combines group and project work with each candidate’s role within
the firm, so projects are an extension of day-to-day responsibilities rather
than additional tasks.
The
learning is a mix of group work, project work and research at Ashridge’s
learning resource and virtual learning centres.
Each
manager also gets a learning coach who helps with growth and understanding and
works as an internal assessor.
“The
training is based on integrating work and learning and has helped the company
achieve another year of double-digit growth,” added Radcliffe.
The
scheme typically takes between six and nine months and employees have the
option of gaining a qualification, as the course is accredited by the
University of Action Learning.
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So
far 85 Interbrew staff have been on the course and the firm is looking at
running the scheme throughout Europe.
