Over drinks and canapés, the open evening reception will provide an opportunity for business professionals and students to meet lecturers, current and past students and discuss the benefits of studying at one of the south’s best business schools.

The open evening is from 6.00 – 8.00pm in Richmond Building at the Portsmouth Business School.

Please register online at www.sharpenyourcompetitiveedge.com. Any questions, please contact Becky Miles on becky.miles@port.ac.uk or +44 (0)23 9284 4323

Hewlett-Packard, one of the world’s largest multinational IT Corporations, has signed a deal with the University of Portsmouth to train its ‘Black Belt’ change champions.  This elite group of individuals will study a bespoke Masters programme to support ‘lean’ methodology which is designed to help them turn HP into a more responsive and efficient company.

‘Lean’ methodology is based on identifying waste within an organisation and focusing on customer needs.  The course has been tailor-made to precisely match Hewlett-Packard’s business requirements by the University of Portsmouth Business School.

Hewlett-Packard, which has approximately 304,000 employees worldwide, has already identified 22 potential high flyers from their global staff who begin the work-based learning programme this week.  Each individual will take on a specific business objective fundamental to the organisation which will form the basis of their studies.

Paul Maguire, Director of Strategic Initiatives for HP EMEA said: “By understanding process improvement and linking ‘lean’ to HP’s strategy and growth agenda we can increase value and even surpass the expectations of our top customers worldwide.  Our lean ‘black belts’ will help us achieve this by learning new concepts, tools and methods and changing the way we work.”

The MSc programme is designed to last around 18 months at which point their strategic goal should be achieved.  The individual is honoured as a ‘Black Belt’ within HP and will receive a Master’s qualification in Strategic Quality Management from the University.

Course Leader, Barbara Savage, said that the University had taken a work-centred approach to the course which supports the students through various projects core to the company’s objectives.

“The idea was to work very much in partnership with HP to deliver a bespoke course to complement the strategic objectives of a growing organisation while retaining the rigor and integrity of a Master’s qualification.  The organisation especially liked the tailored and flexible approach we were able to bring to the programme.

“We’ve avoided duplicating students’ existing knowledge and training and focussed purely on adding value.  Students will be exposed to fresh ideas from other sectors while focussing on increasing customer engagement.”

Black belt students spend just two week-long sessions at the university and the remaining study is done via distance learning with access to University facilities such as the library and on-going email and telephone support from a mentor.  Student assignments will combine academic theory with academic application through their company based improvement projects.

The agreement with the University of Portsmouth Business was signed last night by HP’s Head of Strategic Initiatives in EMEA, Maurice Fitzgerald.  During his visit he delivered a public lecture about how to make the ‘marriage’ of new acquisitions and partnerships work.

For more information about engaging with the University on a similar objective, contact Nick Capon via www.ceri.ac.uk

Quick links:

Strategic Quality Management

Gail Grant had successfully run a small light engineering company for 20 years and had a wealth of practical skills and knowledge but no academic qualifications to back it up. She returned to work as a town centre manager for Havant Borough Council and was quickly promoted but knew she could do even more; her employer recommended the University of Portsmouth as having a good reputation in Strategic Quality Management.

Gail said: ‘Like many of my generation I did not have the opportunity to go to university. I left school at 16 and was busy building a small business and having a family but in the back of my mind I always wondered if I had it in me to achieve a university degree. Now I have done it I am over the moon.’

Now she has a Masters in Strategic Quality Management from the Portsmouth Business School she manages a £2.5m budget running the council’s waste and recycling services.

Quick links:Strategic Quality Management