Crown Holdings has launched the Fifth Cycle of its FORWARD Initiative, with an expansion outside of Europe for 2022.

The initiative is designed to accelerate the careers of highly skilled graduates with two to five years of experience in engineering or commercial roles in the manufacturing industry and represents a unique and exciting opportunity for growth.

Successful candidates will be offered a permanent role within the business with an accelerated pathway for progression. There are many roles to experience within the Company, and FORWARD engineers and commercial professionals can expect to gain valuable experience across a wide range of disciplines over a three-year rotation period. Participants will also be able to work in three different locations within our global operations.

One change to the programme in 2022 is its expansion beyond its European operations. This latest cycle will have an unprecedented 26 openings to fill across Europe, the Americas (U.S., Mexico, and Brazil) and Asia Pacific.

“The FORWARD Programme is unlike any other fast-track scheme I have encountered, offering the flexibility and breadth of opportunity to allow each participant to find where their strengths truly lie,” said Sjoerd-Jaap Schaaf, HR Director at Crown. “Each successful candidate will gain in-depth knowledge of our global operations as they transition between functions over the three-year period, observing, learning and gaining invaluable hands-on experience. A great many of our previous candidates are now in senior roles within the business, and we are confident that the 2022 cycle will add to the next generation of Crown leaders.”

Leon, a Gen III FORWARD Engineer from Argentina, added: “The FORWARD Programme was a major accelerator for my professional career and took it to a completely different level. Mixing new cultures, fast paced business environments and major projects proved to be the challenge I was looking for.

“Living and working in three different countries in three years turned out to be not only a great professional experience but also increased my self-knowledge, confidence in my capabilities and helped me better adapt to changes.”