Warehouse Services Review

My daily tasks ensure that all administrative tasks relating to warehouse despatch are taken care of. This involves speaking with various areas of the business to make sure that stock issues within the warehouse are resolved, producing paperwork for customer orders and making a note of despatch numbers for the day (parcels sent, couriers used). I also need to request items that we need from the buying and merchandising teams so that customer orders are taken care of.

Completing this apprenticeship gave me a much better understanding of important workplace policies such as health and safety, sickness policy and counter terrorism training, in particular how they relate to my role and why they matter. The apprenticeship also allowed me to redo a lot of maths work that I had forgotten since school.

I enjoy the programme a lot as it has helped me to polish up on skills that I had previously acquired while also learning new things. It was fantastic to work with our tutors and I felt supported all the way through. Working alongside colleagues to gain these qualifications meant we could discuss ideas with each other and stressed the importance of on the job training to me. It also showed that the company values improving its staff in a meaningful way. Completing the exams felt like an achievement so the challenge presented by the apprenticeship matched my expectations but didn't obstruct my daily work in any way.

I feel appreciated by the management here. Positive feedback is provided, my ideas are taken on board and management have fought for several improvements, including our office environment, pay and learning skills on the job.

We had to change provider halfway through the course which presented challenges. Once the new provider came on board everything was handled efficiently and I felt no adverse effects from what could have been an unsettling experience. Communication between tutors and me was very efficient and help was always available if needed. Any meeting with the assessors felt like a progression of the course and it felt like they were concerned with how well we did rather than just scraping us through the course.

My tutor was very supportive and very pleasant to deal with. Email queries were answered rapidly on the rare occasions that problems with work arose and there was a definite feeling that they were looking out for me, especially in relation to what they felt were shortcomings from previous providers. This ensured that I enjoyed working with our provider.

I felt very well supported across the spectrum. HR briefed us throughout the process while provider was changed as there were initial problems with finding a suitable company. Management allowed any necessary time to complete the required tasks. The apprenticeship was never treated as a nuisance to fit around work which helped with my positive view of the programme.

I would struggle if I was unable to live with my family.

There is a good social life outside of work with colleagues. This mostly comes about through staff organising amongst themselves but events such as the staff Christmas party and summer breakfast are well received. Discounts are promoted at the company's restaurants as well.

Yes

The people working here make a fantastic team. They are very pleasant to work with and I have made many friends. It's an opportunity to meet people from all over the world and good skills are learnt at this company (meeting high expectations from customers, the company often promotes from within and there is a possibility to move around departments for those that wish to do so).

I would advise really looking into the job specification so you can see exactly what skills the company requires. An interest in working hard and being prepared to go that bit further will help (especially if applying as a Christmas temp). Additionally, the company frequently rehires Christmas temps who excelled into permanent roles when they become available. Good, reliable workers are remembered.