Pub Operator and brewer, Greene King, is the latest to
join forces with Birmingham City University's business school to
create a qualification for its business development managers
(BDMs).
The BDM Development Programme was launched on Tuesday 16 May and
incorporates a Post Graduate Diploma in Multi-Unit Leadership and
Strategy alongside an internal programme of training.
Twelve BDMs from Greene Kings' leased and tenanted division, Pub
Partners, and two from their Retail pub division have started their
studies which they will achieve by 2012, with some progressing to
Masters level .
The programme is based at the Academy of Multi-Unit Leadership
which is part of the University's Birmingham City Business School
(BCBS). The Academy specialises in multi-site retail and leisure
leadership education with over 200 delegates from several major
retail and leisure companies currently in-situ taking tailored
post-graduate education qualifications. These companies include
Rank Plc, Saint Gobain and the Spar Group. Professor of Multi-Unit
Leadership at Birmingham City Business School , Chris Edger said:
"We are delighted to be working with Greene King Pub Partners, one
of the most respected operators in its field in the UK.
"It is our aim that our exclusively designed multi-unit
leadership programme will deliver enhanced levels of knowledge,
skills and capability to a key managerial cohort of Pub Partners -
the BDM.
Speaking about the initiative, Simon Longbottom, Managing
Director for Pub Partners said: "We want to create training and
development programme which is relevant to the service our Business
Development Managers provide their licensees.
"It's important that what they learn improves the help they can
give their pubs and Birmingham City Business School has worked with
us to develop such an appropriate programme that's exclusive to
Greene King".
To optimise each individual's performance all BDMs will be given
a development plan including leadership, management and commercial
skills training on top of their already thorough foundation
induction programme and alongside the Post Graduate Diploma.
Birmingham City University is currently running a major
awareness campaign in the Midlands to demonstrate how it is
upgrading the future of individuals and companies.