FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Center for Management and Executive Education in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas in conjunction with The Partnering Group, has announced an executive education program for managers in the consumer goods and products industry.

“The consumer goods environment is evolving so rapidly,” said Théres Stiefer, director of the center. “Leading retailers and their suppliers are seeking ways to create incremental value for the consumers and stay ahead of competition. Winners in the consumer products industry consistently leverage shopper insights, innovate in category management, create new supply chain capabilities and enhance organization designs to produce competitive advantage.

“We believe that consumer products executives and managers will benefit from a program specifically designed to support the unique knowledge and skills needed to bring results in this industry. The Consumer Products Leadership Program is designed to builds skills to best practices levels,” she said.

Initially, the focus will be on shopper and category development. Over time the curriculum will include a wide range of courses about supply chain excellence, organization development, marketing and leadership.

Participants will go through a rigorous testing and certification process, which allows them to progress through three levels - Foundation, Advanced and Mastery - at their own pace, and upon completion, receive a program certificate. They will advance through these levels in conjunction with their job responsibilities and career development goals. The program meets the criteria for the nationally accepted Continuing Education Unit.

Stiefer added: “The Consumer Products Leadership Program is being taught by industry practitioners from leading consumer products retailers and suppliers, Walton College faculty, qualified instructors from The Partnering Group, and other qualified trainers from leading edge organizations.” The courses also leverage the wealth of knowledge and experience of the course participants. The participant mix is expected to maximize peer-to-peer learning.

The program employs a blended approach to learning, consistent with leading practices in executive education today. Some courses will be offered online for participant convenience. Face-to-face workshops will be integrated into the program to allow feedback from industry experts. In addition, there will be on-the-job projects, designed to address the participants’ business needs.

For more information, go to http://cmed.uark.edu/cplp or call 888-824-3933.

The Center for Management and Executive Education was founded at the University of Arkansas in 1984. The center’s mission is to deliver executive education nationally and internationally by converting faculty intellectual contributions into education programs. These innovative executive programs are developed for today’s professionals to enhance their abilities to face a demanding, ever-changing workplace.

The Partnering Group, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is an international strategy and general management consulting and training firm whose mission is to build sustainable value for leading consumer product companies worldwide. For two decades, the group has helped business leaders address their greatest challenges, from developing and deploying strategy to reorganizing for improving productivity and maximizing revenue.