HEPPNER UNIVERSITY, A SEEDBED FOR TALENT
Heppner University is a unique training model whose purpose is to develop talent and nurture ambitious, meaningful projects within the company.
A veritable laboratory for experimenting with the Group’s entrepreneurial culture since 2017, Heppner University offers selected employees work, exchange or project design sessions. For six months, “students” from different departments, regions and countries whose potential the Group wishes to develop take part in training modules ranging from the Group’s strategic challenges to project management and public speaking skills.
The University’s three pillars are:
- Learning: acculturation and training modules cover the Group’s vision and strategy, international development, business management, and the customer and employee experience. The modules also take in the challenges of CSR and the energy transition, while adding new areas such as the supplier experience and digital transformation.
- Project building: working together in teams, participants will build a complete project from scratch, which they will be able to manage if it is chosen.
- Connecting through formal or more playful shared time: the University provides an opportunity to network and exchange ideas within the Group, and aims to create an engaging, motivating dynamic for the alumni community.
The class of 2024
As the 4th graduating class of Heppner University, the 23 employees selected for this year’s University benefited from new course modules on the supplier experience and digital transformation. Very detailed satisfaction questionnaires completed by the students in the class of 2022 helped us hone the preparation of these six months of intense learning, encounters and reflection.
The winning project for 2024 is the Heppner International Talent Programme, which aims to facilitate talent recruitment, integration, skill development, commitment and longevity. In a competitive market, talent management is an essential lever for an organisation’s performance and stability.
“I took part in the Heppner University programme in 2024 with over 20 colleagues from different subsidiaries and countries. It was an amazing experience: an enriching opportunity to learn about the Group’s strategic pillars, and to exchange ideas and network with colleagues from different sectors. We worked as a team to choose and develop a project and we contributed input for its implementation. Our team is delighted that our ‘HIT – Heppner International Talent’ project has been so successful!”
