TO OUR READERS
Why HPD?
.
Human Potential Development: “this will be the new buzz word
for graduate recruiters over the next few years. But what is Human
Potential Development?”
“So, you’ve got a fi rst-class degree in Aerospace, him “why it was that university had never prepared
somehow I don’t think that’ll be much use here. us for such challenges?” His answer was vivid and
What’s your plan of action to win the respect of direct.
your fellow engineers who are twice your age “You came here to learn mathematics, and
and infi nitely more experienced?” mathematics is what you learnt, all this other stuff
is best left for life to teach you.”
Those were the fi rst two lines to come out of
my line manager’s mouth at GKN Aerospace in The problem is that far too many of us leave
2001. He turned out to be right in that my degree university without the foggiest as to the challenges
was rather useless in my graduate engineer’s we are about to confront. By the time we come
role. Everything I’d learnt at university was to grips with these challenges, and pass life’s test,
either too basic, or outright useless. All the long it’s a little too late. Most of us would have missed
hours spent memorising equations were done the boat to have our potentials fl ourish. We need
by sophisticated software. The thermodynamic something above and beyond our degrees to help us
modelling software I’d learnt was done by succeed in the new century, one where globalisation
specialists in a separate department, which I will create increased competition from abroad; this
never visited. will be a century where we really have to show our
worth, not in terms of qualifi cations, but in skills.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think a fi rst-class
degree is anything to be sneezed at, but we need So what’s HPD got to do with any of this? Well,
to understand that university seems to equip us simply put: Graduates need to have a radical
for tackling mostly closed problems; problems paradigm shift about their career prospects. HPD
of analysis, of understanding theory and case aims to bring together the advice of leading HR
studies, where we are expected to fi nd answers to Directors of FTSE 500 & similarly prestigious
questions that actually have an optimum answer. fi rms to you via articles, short videos and case
The “real” world of industry, I found was studies. It’s important that you hear directly – up
altogether demanding in a separate way. I was close & personal from the people who’ll dictate the
mostly dealing with open problems; problems job market for many years to come.
that didn’t have an expected answer; problems
that were completely new, and ones that could HPD is here to signpost the most ambitious students
have numerous solutions, each equally appealing. to skills that they’ll need to fl ourish in industry, along
On my Aerospace degree, I’d never learnt how to with cutting edge information regarding education,
deal with confl icts between team members; I’d relevant economic news, an insight into your own
never been exposed to the importance of building personal existing strengths and weaknesses, and
consensus; I’d never been practically tested on much more.
managing staff, and how to cope with working
far longer hours than university ever demanded. This is our fi rst edition. A magazine for graduates,
produced by graduates. Let us know if we got it
A few months after starting my fi rst graduate right...or not!
role, I went back to see my professor, and asked Sachin Nandha, Editor
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HPD Sept ‘09 - Feb ‘10