Training need not be costly - some of the best development experiences come free of charge, says Justin King
It’s an interesting time to be President of IGD. On the one hand IGD is celebrating its centenary. On the other hand, people are talking about the current downturn being the most significant change we have ever seen.
It will be a testing time for all of us, but I think we’re up for the challenges we’re about to face, and we can come out the other end stronger than ever. Just as consumers economise at times like this, so do many companies. It’s a psychological trap that feels like the natural thing to do, but this can be the very best moment to get a great deal or make significant investment, ensuring you are able to exit the downturn even stronger than before.
After the recession we’ll face an unfamiliar landscape requiring a different mix of skills, knowledge and experience. Companies will no doubt have created leaner and more fluid structures requiring more multi-skilled people. Just as savvy shoppers will take advantage of bargains on offer during the recession, so the best companies will adapt and change habits of a lifetime and emerge as different organisations.
The grocery industry is robust, so we should be among those still investing – particularly in our people. Personal development becomes even more important and can make all the difference in maintaining morale and rewarding our best talent. More than ever we will need to attract and retain the finest employees.
We will need to invest in the personal development of each employee in order to mark us out as an industry that’s the best for our country’s brightest. Our continued success will make us a much more attractive proposition for graduates than perhaps we were in the past.
This call for serious investment and effort in personal development isn’t new. As reported in The Grocer in 1909, the reason for forming the Institute of Certificated Grocers, the forerunner of IGD, was “the promotion of the technical education movement in the grocery and provision trade with an emphasis on education that is practical and has real value”.
It was important in 1909 and remains so in 2009. Some will say that developing people is expensive and cash is too scarce at the moment. But investment can be in time rather than money. And many of the best development experiences are available at no or very little cost.
A perfect example is IGD’s Leading Edge. This network of 4,700 members will provide 1,200 development opportunities this year in 30 locations – free of charge. With professional trainers delivering hands-on masterclasses and a motivational annual convention, we’ve calculated participants can receive £3,500 worth of development per year for free. It’s an excellent way to broaden skills and network with a diverse group across the supply chain.
For farmers, IGD is providing marketing workshops, together with the NFU and Kent Business School. And to celebrate our centenary we’re encouraging smaller businesses to take up a number of free scholarships to our postgraduate certificate in food and grocery management.
So IGD is playing a full part in helping people in the food chain gain new skills – just as we were in 1909. When recovery comes, those with the most highly motivated and skilled workforce will be ready to take advantage. I expect food and grocery to be in the vanguard.
Justin King is chief executive of Sainsbury's and president of IGD.
It’s an interesting time to be President of IGD. On the one hand IGD is celebrating its centenary. On the other hand, people are talking about the current downturn being the most significant change we have ever seen.
It will be a testing time for all of us, but I think we’re up for the challenges we’re about to face, and we can come out the other end stronger than ever. Just as consumers economise at times like this, so do many companies. It’s a psychological trap that feels like the natural thing to do, but this can be the very best moment to get a great deal or make significant investment, ensuring you are able to exit the downturn even stronger than before.
After the recession we’ll face an unfamiliar landscape requiring a different mix of skills, knowledge and experience. Companies will no doubt have created leaner and more fluid structures requiring more multi-skilled people. Just as savvy shoppers will take advantage of bargains on offer during the recession, so the best companies will adapt and change habits of a lifetime and emerge as different organisations.
The grocery industry is robust, so we should be among those still investing – particularly in our people. Personal development becomes even more important and can make all the difference in maintaining morale and rewarding our best talent. More than ever we will need to attract and retain the finest employees.
We will need to invest in the personal development of each employee in order to mark us out as an industry that’s the best for our country’s brightest. Our continued success will make us a much more attractive proposition for graduates than perhaps we were in the past.
This call for serious investment and effort in personal development isn’t new. As reported in The Grocer in 1909, the reason for forming the Institute of Certificated Grocers, the forerunner of IGD, was “the promotion of the technical education movement in the grocery and provision trade with an emphasis on education that is practical and has real value”.
It was important in 1909 and remains so in 2009. Some will say that developing people is expensive and cash is too scarce at the moment. But investment can be in time rather than money. And many of the best development experiences are available at no or very little cost.
A perfect example is IGD’s Leading Edge. This network of 4,700 members will provide 1,200 development opportunities this year in 30 locations – free of charge. With professional trainers delivering hands-on masterclasses and a motivational annual convention, we’ve calculated participants can receive £3,500 worth of development per year for free. It’s an excellent way to broaden skills and network with a diverse group across the supply chain.
For farmers, IGD is providing marketing workshops, together with the NFU and Kent Business School. And to celebrate our centenary we’re encouraging smaller businesses to take up a number of free scholarships to our postgraduate certificate in food and grocery management.
So IGD is playing a full part in helping people in the food chain gain new skills – just as we were in 1909. When recovery comes, those with the most highly motivated and skilled workforce will be ready to take advantage. I expect food and grocery to be in the vanguard.
Justin King is chief executive of Sainsbury's and president of IGD.
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