Technicians and technologists
in Zoeterwoude from all over the world
Heineken swings in the Caribbean
HTB \s training department shows steady growth
"The training department used to have a bit of a bad name
in the past. People thought that it just swallowed up money.
But over the years there has been a growing realisation that
good training pays for itself. Just think of Job Oriented Train
ing and the strong improvement in efficiency it brings. Train
ing is the basis for everything that goes on within the brew
ery", says Mr. R. Elert, head of the training department at
Heineken Technisch Beheer.
Basic course
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HEINEKEN INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE NO19 PAGE 7
The reputation of the jazz festival not only gives a great boost to Heine-
ken brand awareness but also gives us a chance to show a high profile in
other ways, as can be seen from these photos.
In a big amphitheatre in the
Dominican Republic (Caribbean)
the Heineken Jazz Festival was
held for the second time some
months ago. The top-ranking
musicians performing there con
firmed the festival's position as the
Caribbean's premier jazz event.
Heineken was acting as sponsor
for the second time and it seems
likely that our sponsoring interests
on the Caribbean jazz scene will
be expanded further still. The in
tention is that, starting from the
next Heineken Jazz Festival, the
musicians will also tour other
countries in the region, such as
Curasao and Puerto Rico.
Musical leader of the Heineken Jazz Festival was Michel Camilo, who
also performed with his own trio.
Each year hundreds of employ
ees from operating companies and
participations all over the globe at
tend courses and seminars (study
meetings) organised by this de
partment. A seminar usually lasts
an average of five days. For brew
ery managers and senior engineers
a seminar lasts ten days. During
such a meeting all new develop
ments in the areas of engineering
and technology are explained and
discussed in detail.
And developments in these
fields are certainly fast moving.
Every year HTB's training depart
ment sends out a brochure to the
general managers of our participa
tions with a list of the activities it
has planned for the coming year.
Every two years the contents of
the seminars have to be com
pletely updated to keep pace with
developments.
In consultation with the brewery
management the decision is taken
on who is eligible for a training
course in Zoeterwoude. Such a
training course may last for one
week (seminar), several months,
or even a couple of years. In the
latter case the employee concerned
is stationed within the HTB or
ganisation where he is given his
own work to do.
Many visitors, however, arrive
to take part only in a basic three-
month course. Each training
course consists of a basic section,
and this is then extended to in
clude subjects specifically focused
on the person in question. Mr.
Elert gives an example: "One of
the people we have visiting at the
A training session in Zoeterwoude.
moment is Tom Collins from Mur
phy's Brewery in Ireland. The
brewery in Cork hasn't got a bottl
ing line, so there's no need for us
to overload him with all sorts of
information about bottling sys
tems." Participants who have al
ready attended a course in the past
are given a specially adapted pro
gramme. Often this is done in con
sultation with the regional techni
cal manager and the brewery man
ager of the production unit con
cerned. Obviously, such indi
vidualised courses take quite a lot
of organising. One example is a-
A group of brewery managers and senior engineers from breweries all
over the world get together in the Netherlands for a seminar organised
by HTB's training department
greeing on dates with the 'lectur
ers', mostly HTB specialists. One
single seminar can sometimes
draw on the services of as many as
25 HTB experts.
Mr. Elert feels that the impor
tant element in training courses in
general, and seminars in particu
lar, is not just the provision of in
formation but, more than any
thing, the contact between the in
dividual participants. "During
such a seminar the participant
finds that he has at last got the
chance to consult with his col
leagues on certain problems. In
his home surroundings he does not
usually have someone he can use
as a sounding board for his ideas.
It's also proved to be a good way
of letting the participants feel they
are all part of the one Heineken or
ganisation."
HTB training department has an
extensive programme for 1989:
seminars for senior engineers,
brewery managers, engineers and
brewers, a 'Train the trainer'
course (in which the teachers are
taught how to give lessons), and a
basic training course for tech
nologists and technicians. For the
following year the department has
plans for a seminar for laboratory
managers and a meeting for train
ing managers.
