A new Cemex UK Technical Development Programme has been launched this week to develop the technical managers of the future.

Six technicians embarked on the first 18 month programme with an Orientation Day at Cemex’s National Technical Centre in Warwickshire, UK. They had the opportunity to meet and work with their individual mentors and existing senior technical managers, as well as learn about the programme.  

Cemex said in a statement that the programme has been developed in-house and is on-going, allowing the company to develop and extend its own people over the coming years.  As well as a comprehensive range of learning experiences, one week in every month the technicians are taken out of their current role to work in different business areas, including aggregates, concrete, cement and building products, to gain valuable knowledge.

The programme is a mix of formal tuition and hands on experience, building on the trainees’ existing knowledge and equipping them with the skills to become "the next generation of technical managers."

Steve Crompton, National Technical Director, said: "It has become increasingly difficult to recruit externally.  We are not seeing as many engineering graduates and many of those within the industry who have specialist skills have moved out. The Technical Development Programme ensures that talented technicians learn not only the technical skills, but the management and people skills, that are so essential for our future technical managers."