Commercial Management Trainee Review

Level 4 Retail Management Apprenticeship - Involves a rotation of a few weeks/months in each area of the business - so you start at a Customer Assistant Level, then train to become a Section Manager, then live in Section Manager role for a few weeks, then training to be a commercial, then live in a commercial management role for a few months. Apprenticeship training commences in January following a September Start.

No qualifications. Learned that retail management doesn't require any real qualifications as it is mostly a people-focused role.

I have since stepped down off the programme due to alternative career goals.

Rarely received any motivation or appreciation from manager. They would always leave me on the sales floor to 'do my own thing'. No real learning or education going on.

Programme was meant to be very structured, turned out that it wasn't really followed in store.

None as never began the learning side of the apprentice.

When I initially raised by concerns, I felt as though there was a lot of talking behind my back going on. The graduate lead for East Anglia is a rude man and basically said to me I can continue on the programme or can drop off - they don't want me in the business, basically. A lot of a bullying tactics and guilt-tripping, which is a shame because you're meant to be nurturing a group of highly impressionable youngsters, and if you get it wrong, chances are they will too. Cannot speak for other regions but this was definitely a poor region to chose to learn in. My store manager was very nice and I appreciated their support throughout my decision process. I wish he had been the person training me up to become a commercial rather than handing me down to another person, however.

£18,000 a year (8.65/hr, 40hrs a week) raising to £9.35 an hour in year two (40hr week, so £19.5k a year).

Not really - based in a store majority of the day. If you wanted to travel to other stores that was available, but you wouldn't find yourself doing it a lot.

Yes

It was a good company, I just chose the wrong place to train up.

Prepare for a role play, analytical exercise, group exercise and then an interview. It's a full-on day, but just be chilled out - refer EVERY decision back to the customer and sales, and make sure you know the four pillars of the business - again, referring back to them again.