Store Apprentice Review

Self check outs, tills, working stock, leading the team wherever possible, date checking, ensuring standards are met on whatever areas I work, aiding customers during their shopping experience, ensuring the store is clean and tidy at all times, organising the store and warehouse to make it easy to work in.

I have learnt: how to lead a team, how a retail store operates on a day to day basis, how to effectively work stock, how to adhere to the laws and regulations that affect a retail business, how to maintain a high level of cleanliness during the working day, how to organise stock as to make it easier to rework, what the standard is for a retail store and how I can make sure it is met at all times, how to interact with customers in a professional and helpful manner.

I am enjoying the programme a lot. While there can be some drawbacks and the workload can be a lot at times, I feel I have managed this well and have been positive in the face of adversity. I have a team I get on with at work and feel the learning I do not only allows me to improve in my job role but also review what I can improve on in the future.

The programme is a well structured by the online learning provider and I feel has allowed me to develop at a steady rate. However, the organisation is not as good from the company I work at. While I have been taught the basics, I feel that a lot of my development and the speed it goes at is down to me. This is good as it allows me to dictate the rate at which I develop however I feel, at times, that more guidance would have been helpful. Being given different targets and shown new areas would also help me. However I have mitigated this by trying to push as much as possible to learn new things.

I receive quite a bit of support yet I do feel adjusted monthly or bimonthly targets would help. This is not so much as to push me but to allow me to get a better understanding of where I should be relative to where I am currently. At times over the last 9 months I have felt a bit confused about where I am at compared to the standard that is set for everyone else. While a lot of the feedback I receive is positive, it doesn’t always give me the most confidence in my abilities. A 6 week review or something like it would allow me to analyse (with a member of management) how well I am doing and in which areas I should improve. However, I do feel supported personally and I feel as though I am a member of the team that is listened to and whose options matter at times.

I receive a lot of support from my training provider. I feel the targets have been clearly set out and while some of it is self led, I feel it has been explained to me properly. The learning is easy to track and my mentor is always available for any queries I have. The review sessions provide good feedback and I feel like me and my mentor can set targets for the future as to try and speed up my learning progress.

It has taught me the necessary skills to be able to improve at my job and has taught me key legislation that may be important at a later time. I have also been taught some leadership principles which I can see allow me to subconsciously become a better leader. The learning is thorough and thought provoking meaning I can build on it in my daily working life.

Not per se. While there at times when the team meets outside of work, these a few and far between and a lot of it is arranged by me and my colleagues outside of work. There are not sports or networking events that I am aware of at this moment in time.

Yes

I feel if you have a good work ethic and are a personable you can get very far. If you push yourself the job can be very fulfilling and the retail environment puts you in situations where you can learn. Sometimes it may feel like you are thrown in the deep end but this allows you to grow professionally and learn things quickly. It can be stressful but if you can disconnect it is a very good place to work. But a lot of it depends on your character and will to push yourself.

Stay committed. Set targets and push to achieve them. Sometimes your managers won’t be as hands on so it is key for you to take as much control as you can of every situation. If you can learn push to do so. If u can do something new push to do it. Have a good work ethic and try to build solid relationships with the people you work with. The relationships don’t need to be personal but professional where there is a level of trust. Be willing to work in a team. Ensure you have good communication and take the lead if you feel others in the team are not doing so. Be flexible and find a good balance between work life and your home life. And at all times you must persevere. It may seem difficult but you will learn and grow in the long run allowing you to become a better contributor and a better overall staff member.