About the Programme
Introduction
The Unipart Automotive Graduate Programme is a two-year general management programme designed to fast track employees into senior positions, with the future potential for them to progress to executive level. The programme offers graduates an unrivalled opportunity to join a market-leading company at the sharp end for a fast track career that will see them manage a multi million pound enterprise, in any UK city, in as little as two years.
The programme will introduce you to Unipart Group as well as Unipart Automotive, and to other graduates that the Group has employed throughout its operating companies.
The purpose of the Unipart Automotive Graduate Programme is for graduates to gain a deep understanding of the Unipart Automotive business, from the customers we serve to the branch network that serves them and the head office support functions that enable our branch network to provide the service that the customers require.
As an employee of the Unipart Group, you will learn and use our unique World-class body of knowledge relating to operational and sales excellence, underpinned by our Group-wide philosophy, The Unipart Way. Each Unipart employee undergoes their own personal “Gate to Great” journey enabling them to master the Unipart Way as you progress through the five learning stages: “See”, “Learn”, “Do”, “Teach” and, finally, “Coach”.
By the end of the programme you will be capable of running one of our branches, which range in size from £500k to £2.5m in turnover. At this stage you will be given full responsibility for the branch profit and loss account. In addition, you will be fully line-managing the branch team, taking responsibility for the career development and the motivation of all branch employees. You will also be overseeing the day-to-day needs of the branch business and ensuring that your branch lives by the Unipart Way philosophy and principles.
Programme structure
The two-year programme is broken down month by month with placements in the branches as well as in head office. There are four key phases to the programme:
1) Induction and Branch Operations/Service Quality
2) Head Office/Support Functions
3) Relationship Building/Sales Excellence
4) Branch Management
Whilst on the graduate programme you will gain a complete understanding of the complex nature of the Unipart Automotive business. You will learn about our supply chain and how it allows Unipart Automotive to have the UK’s best own brand automotive parts range delivered on demand to our customer base, every day. You will also understand how our central distribution centre supports the business by sourcing product from the lowest global cost base and also by replenishing our branch network with new stock on a daily basis. You will also understand how the branch network operates to ensure that it provides our customers with the local responsive service they need every day.
Key Skills
The experience we can offer is extremely varied and will provide you with the following key business skills by the end of the programme:
· People Management
· Financial Management
· Customer Relationship Management
· Business Strategy
· Inventory Management
· Sales and Operational Excellence
· Lean
· Leading Edge Technology
· Marketing & Promotions
During each placement there are specific activities and training scheduled for completion. Throughout the programme you will be supported and guided by a mentor, and in each placement you will have a specific placement manager/coach. You will be tasked with business projects within your placements and you will be given clear objectives to achieve them. These will be reviewed through monthly development meetings.
As a Unipart Automotive graduate you will also be exposed to company strategy via the regular Senior Management Conference held in Cowley.
Some people have described our graduate scheme as giving young entrepreneurs a fast track route to becoming a mini managing director of their own small business in just two years. We prefer to focus on the fact that our scheme makes it possible for you to reach the top, and you decide where the top is, there are no glass ceilings at Unipart.
