1. Evaluate SUPERVALUs new professional development program. What do you like/dislike about it? Will it appeal to college graduates? Why or why not?
2. What do you think about the way the program was created? What might you have done differently? Why?

3. What should Paul Cimmerer do as of August 1999?
4. What are some of the future Challenges that he needs to anticipate with respect to professional development?

P Developing the Talent You Have: Strategies for Training and Development Case study: SUPERVALU Professional Development Program EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Paul Cimerer the General Director reviewed the Professional Development Program which was designed to hire the high potential graduates for successful management careers in the distribution, retail, and corporate activities. Initially five members were to be hired by the PDP program in their first round 4 of which will be associated with the TECH BUYERS and only 1 will serve as WAREHOUSE SUPERVISOR. However, they reviewed that they need to double the recruits in the following year due to their expanded business. The company's mission changed from "WORLD CLASS DISTRIBUTION" to "COMMITMENT TO SERVING CUSTOMERS" led Supervalu to develop the Advantage Program (Pricing. Distribution, Category management and Vendor Relation). In 1998 the structure of the PDP was designed and the responsibilities were handed over to the consultant, Laurie Schmidt. The purpose of this program is to provide the on job training. Further the entry level positions (Distribution, Retail Category Management, and Corporate) were to be filled. In this the trainee were given the option to serve their first year in the area of their interest and then they will spend six months in each of two other areas. PDP training program includes Warehouse supervisor training plan (Managing the operations, managing peoples, managing internal and external relationship and managing risk) and Tech buyers training plans (managing inventory level, managing purchase to maximize profit, managing internal and external relationship, using reports to achieve service level goals and using the buying system). The benefits consider for the PDP are Help them compete effectively on college campuses for the best talent. Help them to retain this talem Build interally developed leadership capabilities. Save money Assist in their diversity initiatives After the successful completion of the PDP design stage, it was implemented and some problems started surfacing Director Cimmerer was late in sensing the problems because at the same time he lost one of his key assistant and he was busy in handling other projects, then he took the charge for two of the training programs and therefore he withdraw the first round of PDP. Coach, business advisor and program sponsor were considered to be most critical for the success of PDP. Middle managers were against the PDP and vice president considered them as killers and stated that after implementation of PDP middle managers will be eager to use this program due to its effective outcomes in the company, It addresses two primary considerations: (1) the program design and structure, and (2) the management of the design effort and program implementation