The EGP is a two-year European programme, with one foot firmly in the UK and the other in continental Europe. You'll be based in our businesses across Europe, giving you the opportunity to gain valuable business experience and to make the most of your language skills and international outlook.
In the UK
The main focus will be on experience in branch operations, sourcing, supply chain and logistics. Much of the time you'll be in a T-shirt and trainers or steel toe-capped boots – meeting customers, visiting suppliers, moving products and generally getting to grips with the business. Through hands-on experience and activity-based training, you'll learn about products, mechanical handling, counter sales, the call centre, distribution, contracts, estimating and a lot more. This practical experience will be backed by classroom training sessions, which include product knowledge, project management, presentation skills, time management and cultural awareness.
In Continental Europe
The focus will shift to the areas of sales, marketing and branch operations. Again, this will be hands-on experience supported by classroom sessions. The practical side of the programme will include work in areas such as internal and external sales, showroom sales, branch management and operations management. Classroom modules cover subjects including sales leadership, marketing approach to customer management, managing a profit centre, managing people and teams, recruitment, the shift from internal to external selling and negotiation skills.
Eight months working on a project in either:
Functional and corporate areas, where you'll learn about Central Office functions such as finance, human resources, purchasing, marketing and more. These are the areas of our business that keep the wheels turning throughout the company.
or
A specific area of the business that reflects your skills and ambitions. We'll work closely with you to make sure this part of the programme meets both your and our objectives. It could be anything from sales or logistics to a new IT project.