Procurement Apprentice Review

I am a procurement apprentice working in the raw materials team in industrial capability, at samlesbury site. My day to day work is mainly completing reports on the materials we source from suppliers nationwide. I work with different suppliers and attend monthly supplier reviws to monitor the progress of parts.

I have completed an advanced ECDL (Edexcel) course at Runshaw College, Euxton, Chorley. I have also learnt how to use Baan and make reports that show the teams progress.

I work with a great team and the work I get is enjoyable and rewarding. My expectations were exceeded in both the placements I was put in, as they treat you like an adult and include you with work. I would say that I would maybe like to have a few more responsibilites of my own, to encourage me and train me to be independant.

BAE Systems value you as an individual, as they are always pushing you to do more and be your best. They encourage further education such as a degree or CIPs, and they fully support the financial costs as they see it as a benefit.

The give good training early on to ensure that you are aware of the different systems and methods of working. I get regular meetings to assess my progress, and from there I can ask any questions and I'm made to feel comfortable.

The training providers often set up 12 week reviews to monitor how we're doing. They are always a phonecall away and are always open to any questions. They do an excellent job of delegating tasks to us, and we are made to feel welcomed and important from day one.

My manager offers lots of help in the work I do, and since he is positioned right next to me, he is always there for any queries. He treats me like a part of the team and assigned jobs regularly.

Travel costs are my biggest problem, I travel to both sites (Warton/Samlesbury) from Lancaster, so 5 days a week for a month can rack up large fuel costs. Its quite difficult at the moment on the current wage because there are also living costs.

The training school encourage you to partake in out of work events such as award nights, quizes etc. Ive been lucky to have social teams too, as we have had a few good nighst out which increase the bonds between members.

Yes

They're a fantastic company who encourage you to do your best. Thye push you for further education and look after you with things like occupational health and dentist on site.

With interviews, be honest, be yourself, but show that you can make a difference. Be open to everyone and everything, take every opportunity to get experience.