Sara Lee Coffee & Tea Consumer Brands Learning Center

August 7, 2001

Sara Lee Learning Links

Best Practices Conference

Winston SalemMauro CalcanoVPHR – Suffolk OperationsConsumer Brands

Learning Center Mission To provide ongoing educational resources to our workforce and the Suffolk community by utilizing an on-site Learning Center, available to all and thereby equipping them better for employment opportunities and personal growth

What is the Learning Center?

• An on-site learning facility• State of the art equipment:

– 14 Dell computers – Audio-video equipment, including video conference

• Open 5 days a week, morning, afternoon and evening with potential for weekends

• Professional trainers from internal, secundary and university• Courses with college credits• GED

Objectives• To provide the educational and training resources for:

– The Consumer Brands workforce, hourly and salaried

– Adults within the Suffolk, Virginia, community– Also available for intra-company training

opportunities (Shared Services for C&T North America as well as SLC and SLDE)

Objectives

• To provide community wide access and utilization of these resources

• To grow the earnings potential and employment opportunities available to our workforce and the community

• To enhance our colleague’s contributions within Consumer Brands

• To assist in the training & development of all Liquid Coffee Plant requirements

The Learning Center and the Consumer Brands strategy

• Sara Lee Coffee & Tea Consumer Brands wants to be the Employer of Choice

• We want to advance our employees which will benefit our own company– Highly skilled employees. Our state –of-the-art, high-tech

plant requires skilled employees with high-tech competencies

– Greater pool of potential future skilled employees, for Consumer Brands and Liquid Plant

– Union avoidance• Advancement of Consumer Brands as Learning Organization

Education & Training at our Learning Center

• Life Long Learning I & II – I: Adult Basic Skills education (Three Rs)– II: GED– College Preparatory training

• Sara Lee Corporate training programs• Leadership training• Functional courses

Life Long Learning I

• Target audience: Those who do not have above an eighth grade level in English, math reading, and / or writing

• Business Objective: equip participants them with these basic skills and prepare them for GED training

Life Long Learning II (GED)

• Target audience: those with several years of high school education but without GED

• Business Objective: Pass GED examination (Consumer Brands has GED as absolute requirement for employment for any new hires)

Sara Lee Corporate Training Programs

Consumer Brands will be the US pilot company for a brand new corporate training program from SLDE:

Personal Development Center

‘The MDC for High Potentials’

Personal Development Center (PDC)

• Target Audience: high-potential middle managers

• Business Objective: Assess strengths and development needs as well as best career path

Management training

• Target Audience: Current and potential managers and supervisors among the Suffolk workforce as well as our colleagues at C&T North America

• Business Objective: To equip them in areas such as:– Organization, planning, execution & control with sense of

urgency– Delegation and accountability– Communication– Conflict resolution – Fostering teamwork

Functional trainings

• Target Audience: various, depending on training

• Examples of Types of training:– Computer training (three levels: Nuts and bolts,

intermediate and advanced)– Financial Planning & investing– Resume Writing/Interviewing Techniques

– Managing Workplace Stress

How to ensure Top Quality Trainers & a State Of The Art Curriculum

• For Life Long Learning, Consumer Brands partners with the Pruden Center, a certified educational institution, and Norfolk State University.

• For management training and functional trainings, Consumer Brands partner with Norfolk State University and Old Dominion University.

Involvement of our Associates

• A survey has been conducted among the entire Suffolk workforce to assess the need for specific trainings and educational resources

• Our Employee focus groups and Community Action committee assisted with design and implementation of Learning Center

Involvement of our associates

• Employees attend classes, some participate in training and others volunteers

• Suffolk Management reviews training offerings to ensure business focus and business needs are met

Involvement of the Suffolk community

• We have established long-term relationships with important community organizations and representatives.

• A community affairs commission regularly meets at our Suffolk facility. The committee is comprised of– respected education, religious, ethnic and

government leaders of the Suffolk area– Consumer Brands VP HR and Director of

Community Affairs

American Council of Education

American Council of Education has recognized the Learning Center as a model for corporate training techniques and environment

Role of the community leaders

• To inform us of specific educational needs within the community

• To communicate our initiatives to their members and stimulate their involvement as:– Participant– Volunteer– Tutor

• Therefore they also reach and stimulate our own employees since most of them are affiliated to one of the organizations they lead.

Community organizations we partner with

• Suffolk / Chesapeake Public Schools• Suffolk Interdenominational Ministerial

Alliance• Suffolk Shelter for the Homeless• Hampton Roads Chapter of the NAACP

Communication Process

• Upcoming trainings are posted throughout the Suffolk facility and at the Suffolk organizations we partner with

• Enrollment forms sent out to all colleagues • Monthly information plant meetings• All training is reinforced in Suffolk’s weekly team

meetings with all operators

Communication Process

• Learning Center brochure and newsletter• Information table in the HR area• A computer has been designated with a Learning

Center database in the HR area• Ticker-tape in the HR area

How to enroll

• Coffeeplace Intrasite • Via enrollment forms• At Human Resources• At the Community Organizations• First come, First serve!

Results so far…

• 140 people have taken the computer nuts & bolts computer course, the intermediate and advanced course

• 165 people have taken an Introduction to Microcomputer Software, a 3-credit college course

• MS Project training is being held for managers and supervisors

• 80 people have attended JDE Training • 15 people Management Training

$$ Costs for Consumer Brands $$

• 14 computers, $ 1750 Per system, total $ 24,000• Investment in LC: $ 50K reconfiguration of space • Life Long Learning I and II: $ 18K• Training services for functional courses are being

provided for free • JDE Training for 10 people :$ 15K• Leadership Training for 15 people: $ 8K • Microsoft Project for 14 people: 2K

Looking to the future

• More focus on technical training in preparation for Liquid Plant Suffolk

• Establishment of Technical Learning Center, possibly off-site

• Reconfigure LC to accommodate Liquid Plant

“We hold our community and employees in the same esteem as we hold our brands.

If we invest in our community and our colleagues, we will grow our business…”

Mauro A. Calcaño

EVP & CHROSara Lee Coffee & Tea

Consumer Brands