Today's young grads want to rise fast in their careers and are eager to get into management. Companies who want to attract talented new grads are giving them what they want, by offering management training programs. Here are just a few...

For IT/math/science grads

Direct Energy's Information Services Leadership Development Program is a two-year program consisting of three six-month development rotations and three mini-rotations, at locations throughout North America including Toronto, Calgary, Houston and Dallas. Grads may also have an opportunity to work in Europe with Direct Energy's parent company Centrica. Candidates who make it through the rigorous hiring process (about 16 are hired per year) are considered full-time employees from day one. Six-month rotations are placements in software development and/or engineering, where grads work on high profile projects. Mini-rotations are two months each, with grads working in areas of the company outside of software engineering. Final placements depend on what positions are available and the strengths and interests of participants. We have even created new positions for grads, says program manager Meghan Holmberg.

One such position was created for Erin Lester, 30, hired after earning undergraduate and Master's degrees in computer science and math, then graduating from teacher's college. I had a one year placement teaching high school, but I wanted to apply my computer skills and I wanted the opportunity for continued development, says Lester, who found out about Direct Energy's program from a friend. Now Lester has a permanent placement in Houston, Texas: I am actually moving into a role that didn't exist before, an engineering group role working on user experience and usability.

For foodies and business/retail grads

Grad@Loblaw is a full-time, paid program that allows recent college or university grads to rotate through various roles over an 18-month period. Grads spend their first six months in the classroom and in stores learning about the various departments. The second, three-month rotation is spent in central merchandising where participants learn about buying and the supply chain. The final nine-month rotation is in the department the grad is being hired for: Store management, marketing, merchandising, supply chain, IT, human resources or finance, at stores or in regional offices.

Grads qualify for the program if:
ÔÇó They are set to graduate soon or have graduated from college or university within the past 24 months
ÔÇó They have good grades with a lot of other interests
ÔÇó They've worked with the public in a job or a volunteer position
ÔÇó They love food and are excited to work for a retail company
ÔÇó They've got a drive to win and a passion to make things happen
ÔÇó They're flexible about work location and can do one or more of their rotations in the store support office in Brampton, Ont.

Loblaw aims to hire 1,000 grads over the next five years, with the next round of 100 grads starting in January 2011, says Nan Oldroyd, senior director of recruitment and diversity. The unique thing about our program and what makes Loblaw Companies a great place to work is that grads are hired permanently right from the start of the program, Oldroyd says.

For grads in Western Canada

Federated Co-operatives Ltd. is owned by approximately 265 autonomous retail co-operatives in Canada's four Western provinces. Together, they form the Co-operative Retailing System (CRS). CRS's Post-Secondary Department Manager Training Program offers students approximately eight months of paid and customized training to prepare them for management careers.

Students get management experience in a variety of departments including accounting, agro, food, gas bar/convenience store and pharmacy. A mentorship learning program is also used. Students are introduced to a variety of training experiences and skills including business planning, budgeting/financial analysis, ordering/buying strategies, inventory control, pricing strategies, marketing strategies, merchandising, service management and human resources management. Co-op work terms are also available.

Candidates must be students or graduates of two to four year post-secondary education programs. CRS hires up to 24 new grads per year, says Gary Mearns, retail recruitment director for the human resources division of Federated Co-operatives. Our ideal candidate in most cases has a rural background, Mearns says. We also tend to prefer students who've worked with us in the summer, or through a co-op program.

Kassidy Schneider, 26, is a recent graduate of the management training program. Also a CMA, Schneider is now office manager at Saskatoon Co-op. She graduated with a BComm degree (with a major in accounting) from the University of Saskatchewan just three years ago. Schneider now supervises 12 other staff members. I feel quite loyal to the company because of all the experience they've given me and how supportive they've been of my education. They even reimbursed me for a portion of my CMA designation, she says. jp