Bespoke programme benefits Holcim

Applied learning goes beyond the classroom to ensure that knowledge is embedded within the workplace. Our courses and programmes offer bespoke solutions to your business challenges, with learning methods that are tailored to suit the needs of your organisation.

Customised learning solutions

Holcim, a global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions, reached out to the University of Derby for a company programme that would apply academic theory in the context of their business, including areas such as Marketing, Operations Management, Finance and Strategy.

The Global RMX (Ready Mix) Concrete Management Programme has run consecutively over the past three years, engaging with Holcim at every level to ensure that the needs of the organisation align with the participants' learning experience. As the programme responds to Holcim's business requirements, participants can see that their learning has real-world application.

Simon Smith, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader, believes that this collaborative approach is valuable for both the participants and the organisation:

"Working closely with Holcim in the design stages of the programme enabled us to develop a detailed understanding of the organisational needs and design a programme that is proving valuable and impactful to both the participants and the organisation. The collaborative approach to the programme design has continued throughout the programme delivery, in particular application of the taught subjects to current and potential future contexts of the business."

"It has been a pleasure to witness participants develop their knowledge and skills over the duration of the programme, in particular the application of theory to real scenarios and holistic thinking. The feedback from the participants continues to be very positive as the programme goes from strength to strength."

Noureddine Djidi, Global Market Intelligence & Business Development at Holcim, believes that the course is preparing Holcim for the future:

"The Global RMX Managers’ Course is the backbone of our Build Beyond Strategy. It plays a central role in preparing the future leaders of the Concrete Business in Holcim by developing their in-depth knowledge of the business and strengthening their critical and strategic thinking as well as their leadership and managerial skills.

By working with the University of Derby, we have the best of both worlds. In fact, the programme perfectly combines the theory, structure and scientific rigour of academia with the hands-on and practical nature of the industry.

Since the launch of the programme in 2021, we have developed a strong pipeline of talented leaders capable of coping with the new challenges our industry is facing to take the Concrete Business in Holcim to next level in terms of performance and sustainability.“

A global programme

Reaching managers from all over the world, the credited one-year Concrete Management Programme covers three modules, situated within the context of Holcim’s business requirements, including commercial, operations and finance.

Participants are invited to week-long residentials in Lyon (France), Mexico and here, at the University of Derby. During these residentials, participants observe the application of theory in real-world scenarios through site visits, in addition to listening to speakers and partaking in classroom engagement, where they are taught by a delivery team who all have practical knowledge of the field.

This knowledge enables the delivery team to relate to participants by contextualising academic theory and terminology to real-world scenarios that are relevant to Holcim. Over the week, participants will cover a 20-credit module before completing workplace-related assessments, with the support of the teaching team. Upon completing the programme, participants will achieve a postgraduate qualification in management.

Future possibilities

Based on the extraordinary success of the current programme, we have identified opportunities to develop the programme as we enter it's fourth year of delivery.