Kingfisher announces B&Q Fast Track Retail Management Graduate Programme

B&Q, the UK’s largest home improvement retailer is set to offer ambitious graduates a full retail experience with the launch of its new Retail Management Graduate Programme, which was announced by Euan Sutherland, Chief Executive Kingfisher UK & Ireland, at a B&Q MPs’ reception at the Houses of Parliament in October.

The fast track programme will offer successful candidates an un-equalled insight into the world of retail and management responsibility, which within 2 – 3 years will see them being placed into different management roles and appointed to a store manager role by the end of the scheme.

The successful graduates who enter into the programme will receive excellent learning and training opportunities including group development, personal profiling, workshops and on the job learning activities matched to their individual needs. The candidates will also receive support from a B&Q mentor as well as a ‘buddy’ and one to one coaching from a qualified coach.

A key element of B&Q’s Retail Management Graduate Programme which stands it apart from some other graduate schemes is that it provides a real on the job ‘retail experience’ which will see the graduates appointed into real jobs, with real teams and real responsibility from the outset.

Planned out of store activities will also give candidates a wider and more strategic view of the B&Q business and the retail sector as a whole. This will include bi-monthly sessions designed to showcase B&Q’s vision, its strategy and plans across different areas of the business and following the process right through to support how this is executed in store.

This ‘do it for real’ approach also comes with its rewards as the candidates will receive an excellent starting salary of £25,000 with the potential to increase this by between 20-40% by the end of the programme, as well as qualifying for B&Q’s management bonus and benefits scheme.

Euan Sutherland, Chief Executive Kingfisher UK & Ireland, said: “Here at B&Q people are at the heart of what we do and so we are looking for young talent with bags of enthusiasm and a great attitude to work in our team. Competition in the graduates’ jobs market is fierce but successful candidates will be offered a fantastic fast track learning experience which will see them running their own store in two - three years.

“We are investing in youth talent and improving the skills of young people in a number of different ways at B&Q including our first ever Youth Board, our Job Done! Schools programme, plus a number of new initiatives which will be launching from next year.”

B&Q aims to take on 20 graduates in the first year of the programme’s launch and plans to offer work placements and summer internships in the following year. Full details of how graduates can apply to B&Q’s Retail Management Graduate Programme are now available on www.diy.com/careers.

Source : Kingfisher Press Release
www.kingfisher.com/index.asp?pageid=55&newsid=940