Twenty-seven deputy managers have been promoted to general managers in just one year at Stonegate Pub Company as a result of company’s hugely successful Accelerator training programme.

Accelerator, which is now one year old, was devised by Stonegate Pub Company as part of its award-winning ‘Albert’s Theory of Progression’ suite of training programmes. It aims to develop and coach experienced deputy managers to take the next step to be successful general managers. Three, four-month programmes have been completed in the last year with a fourth well underway.

The course consists of three workshops; Creating a Winning Mind, Winning in Communication and Winning in Business. “The programme is designed to give the deputy managers a number of personal development skills as well as improving their business skills,” said Jon Perkins, Success Coach and Co-ordinator of Accelerator. “This programme differs from other courses as it looks at what personally motivates and inspires the participant and helps to create the will as well as the skill to succeed.”

Explaining why the programme has achieved such a good success rate Jon says, “Confidence can sometimes be one of the main barriers to development and the course tackles this head on. Not only does it teach and coach methods to believe in yourself as well as important practical business skills, each participant also has a ‘success coach’ who alongside their area manager continues to guide them after the programme has completed.”

As part of the course each Accelerator participant is tasked to organise and deliver a charity sales event which is then presented in a Dragons Den style format to senior directors. To date £31,000 has been raised for local charities.

Melissa Sayer, who completed the second Accelerator course and is now general manager of Slug and Lettuce in Salisbury explains how the course has impacted her, “I have changed the way I think both personally and professionally since the course. I am so much more organised in every aspect of my life, I’m now a very positive person and I think differently about situations. In fact, my friends call me their guru because I’m always sending them positive quotes!”

“The programme gave me huge confidence and made me realise that if you believe in yourself and work to your goals you will achieve them. I made some great friends on the course and even now I still get lots of support and mentoring from Jon”, she added.

The current course finishes on the 6th February 2014. Each participant receives post programme support from their area managers and the success coach as well as a personal development plan with the ultimate goal being to become a general manager. The fifth Accelerator programme launches on January 28th 2014.