Professional development and training

All store employees follow a clearly defined learning and development path, with the emphasis on ‘doing it for real’ – in other words, applying what you learn in your day–to–day role – and your progress is directly linked to increases in pay.

It’s not like school. There are always choices in how you learn: sharing knowledge with colleagues, learning from information around the store, or using paper-based and e-learning activities. And progress isn’t just based on what you know, but on how you apply it in daily contact with customers and colleagues.

For those interested in jobs as managers, there are three main ways of progressing:

• The Designate scheme is for people who are already managers and joining B&Q from another organisation. It’s designed to ease you into your role, with mostly on-the-job training to continue the ‘doing it for real’ theme. We are well aware that one size does NOT fit all, so the scheme is individually tailored to the individual’s experience and expertise and can last up to 24 weeks.
• Fast Track is a programme that can take B&Q workers into management or to the next level of management. It takes into consideration existing knowledge and skills and it is self-paced, with no fixed timescales to complete the programme.
• RMDP – or the Retail Management Development Programme – is an accelerated development programme, which offers the chance for employees with top potential to train as Store Managers. It involves on-the-job training, shadowing, and internal and external workshops.