What do they learn exactly? How do you join? And how does this contribute to their professional development? Go for happy Magazine asked two alumni of the program.
The support and feedback from the Leadership team are a unique opportunity.
– Emma Castien, Learning & Development Lead
About ten years ago, PepsiCo launched the Graduate Development Program (GDP). It started on a small scale for Belgium and the Netherlands, later expanding to Northwest Europe and now even encompassing the entire Northern European region. "At the moment,
Belgian and Dutch colleagues participate, but even German or Danish colleagues," says Emma Castien, currently the Learning & Development Lead at PepsiCo and responsible for the Graduate Development Program. "Each year, we have in total twenty
employees joining the program and divided in two different groups. The program lasts for nine months and is a kind of acceleration of the development of young professionals. Those who want to participate must be at the beginning of their careers and
have a maximum of three years of work experience. We also closely monitor that the program fits into the candidate's development path. The program shouldn't come too early or too late."
In the program, PepsiCo follows the 70-20-10 principle. "70 percent of the focus is on learning on-the-job: while you work, you get a separate project. So, you do the program alongside your daily job," explains Emma. "20 percent is on building relationships.
You are in a highly motivated group, with often very interesting colleagues from whom you can learn a lot, and you are coached by someone from the Northern Europe Leadership team. Finally, about 10 percent of the time is dedicated to our learning
platform and training, where you participate in various group sessions, for example, on giving presentations."
Since there are always two groups, two projects are also set up. Emma: "The scope of these projects changes every year. It is about a challenge that the company is facing, and the candidates must solve it. It can be purely commercial, but also, for example,
related to our supply chain or marketing. The guidance of the candidates is crucial: two project sponsors are appointed from the Leadership team. They closely monitor and are available for help and feedback. That is truly a unique opportunity."
PepsiCo is a very large company, with many aspects. I am glad I got an overview.
– Laure Passchyn, Media Activation Manager
The PepsiCo Way
PepsiCo anchors the program to seven behaviors that the company stands for, called behaviors. "For example, Act as Owners: you have the freedom to approach the project in your own way. Or Voice Opinions Fearlessly: you are forced to think creatively and
adopt an innovation mindset. Another one is Be Consumer Centric: through a project that may be completely out of your comfort zone or your daily work environment, you gain insights into how our business works. Ultimately, we want motivated employees
to emerge from this, people who will become our future leaders. At the same time, we want to teach them skills that they can immediately use in the workplace. Talent development has always been very high on our agenda."
One of those future leaders is Laure Passchyn, who is a Media Activation Manager at PepsiCo and completed the GDP program just before the summer. "I knew someone who had already done the program and was super enthusiastic about it," she says. "I spoke
to my manager about it, and he convinced me to apply. In November, the kick-off took place in Utrecht with all young colleagues, and that's where I was assigned my case. It happened to be a marketing case about Belgium where we had to do store checks
at Belgian retailers and gather insights. For the Dutch and Germans in the group, that was unfamiliar territory, but not for me, of course."
One of Laure's talents that emerged during the program was her presentation skills. "I already liked doing that, and it turned out I was quite good at it," she says with a smile. "Now I am quickly looked at when we have to do a presentation. What I also
gained from it is a deep understanding of PepsiCo itself. This is a very large company, with many aspects. I am glad I got an overview and got to experience many of those aspects."
Sharpening talents
Even outside the GDP program, PepsiCo provides many opportunities to grow and work on your skills, Laure points out. "There are still many programs that sharpen your skills, and you get to know people within the company better. These are investments in
yourself that really help give your career a push in the right direction.