• Young, ambitious and eager to learn

Accent Jobs for People sends HiPo’s on Young Management Programme

Friday afternoon at Accent Jobs for People in Ghent. Nathalie Remmerie (36), Hannelore Soetens (28) and Kelly Lernous (27) manage to take time out of their busy schedule to get together for a chat about young people with ambition, and about their own personal experience – past and present – of Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School’s Young Management Programme (YMP).

One question is enough to launch the discussion. The rest follows from there.

Kelly, you’re doing the YMP this year. What are your first impressions?

Kelly Lernous (National Accounts Manager): “Fantastic. I’ve just completed the initial session on self-management and coaching. Over the three days I learned a huge amount, not just from the lecturers, but also from the other participants. Accent is very keen on training and development, but the chance to share your experience with fellow students, as in the YMP, is something that’s difficult to find elsewhere.”

Hannelore Soetens (Area Sales Manager Netherlands): “Absolutely. You get a lot of input from people around you. They give you feedback on your behaviour, how you react to certain situations and how you function in a group situation. The group is also carefully selected to ensure that everyone clicks. You’re with people who all share the same goal, are about the same age and are pursuing a similar career path.”

Nathalie Remmerie (Commercial Manager white-collar sector): “The residential format strengthens that process of bonding. For a few days you’re completely immersed in management training and your links with the outside world are virtually severed. There’s a strict policy on mobile phone use and as far as your employer’s concerned, there’s a ‘Do not disturb’ sign around your neck! So you all have to interact with one another.”

Kelly Lernous: “You’re busy from morning to night absorbing what you see and experience. And that’s virtually the only topic of conversation on everyone’s lips.”

What are the lecturers like?

Hannelore Soetens: “The Vlerick professors aren‘t typical university lecturers, as they have both feet firmly planted in the real-life business world. Some of the lecturers have real charisma. Several of them have even run their own business or held senior management posts, so they know exactly what they’re talking about and have a ready response to specific questions and situations. The quality of teaching is extremely high.”

Kelly Lernous: “The classes are also very practically oriented. You can apply what you learn immediately in your everyday work.”

Hannelore Soetens: “The focus on ‘real’ business also comes to the fore in the business plan assignment. Based on personality profile, different teams are put together. Each team develops a business plan based on a case study of their choice and a written version is handed in at the end of the course. This teaches you not only how to translate management theory into practice, but also how to work with different personalities. And you also learn a lot about yourself.”

Is there sufficient supervision?

Hannelore Soetens: “Definitely. During the programme you have discussions with your internal coach and with your Vlerick coach. The first is someone from your own organisation who monitors what you’re learning and how you translate it into actual practice.” The discussions with your Vlerick coach are less job-related, focusing more on your general progress.”

What’s the added value of the YMP for young managers?

Nathalie Remmerie: “Everyone has different knowledge and qualifications. Depending on your background and current work situation, you take away from the programme what you think might be useful to apply in practice. I studied industrial psychology, so I probably got something completely different out of the financial management module compared with Hannelore, who’s a commercial engineer. The programme offers you a helicopter view of the wider field of management, separate from your individual work context. This also helps you to look at things within your own sphere of work from a distance and make more objective decisions. The programme also enables you to build up a useful network. I made a lot of good contacts that way, both personal and professional. Through its alumni association, the School motivates you to maintain those relationships. And anyone who, like us, works in a commercial environment makes sure they do just that.”

Is there a real need for programmes like the YMP?

Nathalie Remmerie: “Definitely. With demographic ageing on the horizon, organisations will lose a wealth of experience within a short space of time and won’t be able to replace it quickly enough. A lot of young people will have to cope with greater responsibility much earlier. Programmes like the YMP are an essential stepping stone to help them on their way.”

Hannelore Soetens: “Thanks to the YMP, you realise that you’re not alone. You’re young, you’re forging ahead in your career and being given a great deal of responsibility. A lot is being fired at you. And then you find yourself in a group of about thirteen people, all in exactly the same boat. That buoyed me up, the realisation that there are others who are willing and able to fast-forward their career and who are faced with the same challenges. If the going ever gets tough, I often think of them.”

The Young Management Programme as a retention tool

Every year the Belgian employment and recruitment agency Accent Jobs for People selects 15 high potentials (HiPo’s) from amongst its employees and puts them through various forms of training for a whole year. “It’s a strategic decision,” explains HR Manager Annelyn Naert. “Training is an important retention tool for Accent. Rewarding our employees financially is not enough; we also want to offer them career development opportunities. That’s the only way to keep them motivated and also ensure that they are fully up to date.” At the end of the year’s training, the trainers and regional managers choose one HiPo to undertake the Young Management Programme. The ultimate reward.