Graduate Blog: CDC Chapters

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CDC Chapters

Posted At : February 1, 2012 10:35 AM by Richard Allinson

Graduate Program: Capgemini

This blog entry was written by Simon Hodge. Simon is a current member of the CDC graduate scheme.

One of the ways that Capgemini Consulting supports its new graduate trainees is through a pastoral network called a chapter. Everybody is allocated to a chapter when they join the company, and stay in it throughout their time in the CDC.

Each chapter is a small network of about a dozen people. The chapters have a manager, who is a mid level consultant in the company, and a leader who is more senior member of the CDC. The chapter manager and leaders provide an informal source of guidance and advice for any member who wants it. It’s a great setup which helps to give the CDCers the support they need without having to resort to more formal channels. Early in my own career at Capgemini, for example, I was put onto a role that my family leader had occupied a few months previously. This not only meant that I already knew somebody who could help to get me up to speed on the role, but also that if any issues occurred, I had somebody I could go to for advice before talking to, say, my project manager.

The chapters host regular socials. This can be anything from drinks on a Friday evening, through to slightly more unusual stuff like an evening at a dog track or a trip on a power boat on the Thames. The socials are great, and are a lot of fun, but, again, they serve a useful purpose, really helping to embed new joiners in the scheme and make sure they settle into the company quickly.

The chapters also run our quarterly meetings. The CDC gets together every three months to review business over the quarter, hear from senior people within the company about a given client, capability or sector, and celebrate the successes of individual CDCers . The chapters take it in turns to run these events – doing the organisation, finding senior speakers and, of course, planning the party afterwards. It adds a little more formal purpose to the chapters, and helps to ensure that all of us get the opportunity to have input into the CDC meetings, which are the CDC’s biggest, most high profile showcases.

Chapters are a fun, entertaining, and incredibly useful part of life in the CDC. They help to get you involved and comfortable, so that you feel at home in the CDC from as early as possible.