Championing a collaborative approach to talent development
“One of the biggest challenges that organisations face is how to keep up with the rapid pace of change”, says Dr Kesiena Ebenade, Capability Manager, Learning & Development at BT Sourced, the innovative procurement arm of global communications provider BT. Based in Dublin, the company manages and influences a budget of around €14.8bn (£13bn) and draws on the capital’s diverse and tech-savvy talent pool in the Republic of Ireland.
“The procurement landscape is evolving quickly due to digital transformation, supply chain complexities and the increasing drive for sustainability. For an organisation to compete, it must ensure that it is continuously developing the skills of its workforce.”
Partnering with TU Dublin gives BT Sourced that edge and makes us attractive to procurement professionals who want to join our organisation. They see that we care about the development of our people, and that enables us to attract and retain top talent in a very competitive market.
Kesiena Ebenade, Capability Manager, Learning & Development at BT Sourced
“Partnering with TU Dublin gives BT Sourced that edge and makes us attractive to procurement professionals who want to join our organisation. They see that we care about the development of our people, and that enables us to attract and retain top talent in a very competitive market”, says Ebenade.
With more than 25,000 learners across three campuses, TU Dublin is Ireland’s second largest and most diverse university committed to providing targeted, relevant lifelong learning opportunities. Its Enterprise Academy is a multidisciplinary business unit, helping industry partners work with the university’s five faculties to create flexible, scalable, accredited solutions that address sector-specific emerging and critical skills needs.
The inaugural class of the Certificate in Applied Procurement Management at TU Dublin with BT Sourced, TU Dublin and the Enterprise Academy partners.
Talent development solutions based on need
BT Sourced identified critical skill gaps within its organisation and turned to TU Dublin to address them. This partnership led to the creation of a new postgraduate Certificate in Applied Procurement Management, aimed at equipping procurement professionals with enhanced skills and fostering innovation for BT Sourced.
“We needed to create an innovative programme and Cyril Pourrat, Chief Procurement Officer at BT Group, wanted us to establish a partnership with a top university with deep disciplinary expertise here in Ireland. That's why we reached out to TU Dublin through its Enterprise Academy,” explains Ebenade.
“This IDA supported programme presents an invaluable opportunity for our procurement professionals to enhance their capabilities and drive innovation and change across BT Sourced”, says Pourrat. “It not only benefits BT Sourced, but it raises the industry's benchmark for best practice in procurement.”
This IDA supported Certificate in Applied Procurement Management presents an invaluable opportunity for our procurement professionals to enhance their capabilities and drive innovation and change across BT Sourced. It not only benefits BT Sourced, but it raises the industry's benchmark for best practice in procurement.
Cyril Pourrat, Chief Procurement Officer at BT Group
Key role of the Enterprise Academy in forming partnerships
The Enterprise Academy at TU Dublin acts as a broker to help companies access the knowledge and expertise they require across the University. According to Senior Engagement Manager for the ICT FinTech sector Peter Lynch, “When a company comes to the Enterprise Academy looking for an educational solution, as part of our Enterprise Engagement Model (EEM), we match their educational requirements to the disciplinary expertise across our schools and faculties. BT Sourced was looking for a continuing professional development (CPD) course in procurement and university accreditation was important to them. We identified the School of Business, Technology, Retail and Supply Chain as the correct partner for the company.”
“As part of our discovery phase, we shared the scope of BT Sourced’s skills requirements with Declan Allen, Head of Logistics, Supply Chain and Project Management at the school,” says Lynch. “It turned out to be a perfect match.” While the University has the capability to deliver procurement programmes, BT Sourced also wanted an educational partner who could respond quickly to their specific requirements. Once initiated, the Enterprise Academy provided ongoing support to ensure a coordinated approach.
Cyril Pourrat, Chief Procurement Officer at BT Group speaking during the programmes induction. Dr Eoin Langan, Dean, Faculty of Business at Technological University Dublin congratulates the BT Sourced learners at their graduation.
A structured collaborative process
During the co-design Process, the Enterprise Academy matched BT’s finance, contracts, legal and technology team leads with the appropriate TU Dublin expert faculty. As a group, they discussed each of the discipline areas within the programme, with the goal of agreeing a comprehensive co-developed curriculum.
Ebenade believes this approach worked well. “It enabled us to identify the key subject matter experts we had internally and match that expertise to the topics we wanted the course to address, and skills gaps we wanted to close. The Enterprise Academy was able to facilitate meetings with our in-house experts and the disciplinary experts within the faculty. What was important was that while the lecturers had the research expertise and knowledge, our experts were able to specifically align that to developing best practice in BT Sourced.”
Dr John Crowe, a lecturer in supply chain management at the School of Business, Technology, Retail and Supply Chain found the co-creation process was “crucial to strike a balance between the company’s expectations and the academic perspective.” The result was the Certificate in Applied Procurement Management which ran from April 2024 with 25 BT Sourced employees participating.
Delivering on the needs of professional learners
“The programme team was cross disciplinary,” says Crowe. “With short programmes like this you would typically have one or possibly two lecturers engaged in design and delivery, but here we had a team of five with deep expertise in areas related to supply chain and procurement. That was necessary to meet the needs of our enterprise partner and meet the learning objectives in such a short time frame.”
"The program was scheduled to accommodate the learners' needs. As Lynch explains, 'Classes were held to fit BT Sourced's schedule. At the Enterprise Academy, we specialise in creating solutions for professional learners. It was crucial for BT Sourced to ensure that participants could attend the program during work hours.'"
The program was scheduled to accommodate the learners' needs. Classes were held to fit BT Sourced's schedule. At the Enterprise Academy, we specialise in creating solutions for professional learners. It was crucial for BT Sourced to ensure that participants could attend the program during work hours.
Senior Engagement Manager for ICT FinTech
Igniting innovation from within the organisation
The programme is highly practical with the final applied assessment based on a business need for the company. “For this assessment, participants developed potential solutions to improve efficiencies in their departments. BT Sourced can now leverage 25 critical analyses on its work practices that are immediately useful to them as an organisation. That is a valuable resource for the company,” says Lynch.
Course participant BT Sourced Procurement Manager Ahmad Aftab found the course project extremely beneficial. “The project looked at improvements for the workplace. It asks us to think critically as procurement professionals to bring about change to the working norms in BT Sourced.”
We've had 25 people who conducted research to bring about change within our organisation. We've not only empowered them with new skills, new knowledge, with a certificate at the end. We've also developed change agents within the organisation, and we've enhanced their research skills as well.
Kesiena Ebenade, Capability Manager, Learning & Development at BT Sourced
Aftab chose to investigate how strategic procurement can add value beyond operational or tactical procurement. “That gave me a chance to engage with company senior leaders. I undertook research with BT Sourced procurement professionals around the world. The feedback gave me many insights on how we can move from the current operational mindset to a more strategic mindset.”
“It was a pragmatic case study where participants bring theory and new learnings into the workplace to look at issues and challenges within their own practice and how they can instigate change in the organisation,” Ebenade adds. “We've had 25 people who conducted research to bring about change within our organisation. We've not only empowered them with new skills, new knowledge, with a certificate at the end. We've also developed change agents within the organisation, and we've enhanced their research skills as well.”
The Certificate in Applied Procurement Management graduates with (Front Row) Cara Farrelly, Senior Manager - Strategy, BT Sourced; Peter Lynch, Senior Engagement Manager, TU Dublin Enterprise Academy; Declan Allen, Lecturer, School of Business, Technology, Retail and Supply Chain; Dr Eoin Langan, Dean, Faculty of Business; Cyril Pourrat, Chief Procurement Officer at BT Group; Kesiena Ebenade, Capability Manager, Learning & Development at BT Sourced; and Dr. Claire Mc Bride, Head of the Enterprise Academy at TU Dublin.
Valued learner experiences
Aftab particularly valued the in-person nature of the course having completed his master’s degree online due to Covid restrictions. “This gave me a chance to learn and interact with lecturers and fellow participants face to face,” he says. “This helped me build more personal connections, network and discuss lecture topics with colleagues also on the course. This is something we normally don't experience in the virtual world. It was a 360-degree programme which covered all the topics that we should be focusing on in our day-to-day jobs. It was a great experience for me, and I would recommend it.”
It was a 360-degree programme which covered all the topics that we should be focusing on in our day-to-day jobs. It was a great experience for me, and I would recommend it.
Ahmad Aftab, BT Sourced Procurement Manager
Continuous enterprise partner benefits
The partnership with TU Dublin and the Enterprise Academy will have significant benefits for BT Sourced. Identifying critical skills gaps and competencies that are crucial for its workforce and to aligning training and development programmes with the company's broader objectives, is a priority for BT Sourced.
“This is the first time the programme has been delivered. Our feedback will be incorporated into the next programme in the new year. TU Dublin engaged with us to ensure that the Certificate was tailored to reflect the realities of our industry and the challenges that our teams face daily. Ultimately, this will enable BT Sourced to foster a culture of continuous learning,” says Ebenade.
“We're looking forward to incorporating enhancements for future iterations of the programme,” says Lynch. “That feedback loop is inbuilt in our offering to enterprise.”
Get in touch
If we can help your business to build your future talent pipeline, contact the Enterprise Academy today. www.tudublin.ie/enterprise-academy.
Contact: Peter Lynch, Senior Engagement Manager for the ICT FinTech
