Supply Chain Operative Apprentice Review

My role is to support the trunking department with their daily route plans including booking in deliveries with our receiving depots and leasing with contract service customers. I also have responsibility over organising pallet collections from Chep and charging our receiving depots for the pallet quantities they receive. Furthermore, I am involved in admin and confirmations which involves receiving paperwork from our truck drivers and ensure that our customers are charged accordingly. I ensure that all returns and ullage are processed correctly and keep records of these for future reference. I have also been working with our Fleet Manager to create a KPI system to we can monitor the departments efficiency and I identify key areas to improve on.

My excel and other computer skills have been developed and I now have a good knowledge of SAP and our TMS system. Further to this I have improved my telephone manner and confidence with talking to customers. Others skills I have developed are dealing with challenging individuals in the workplace and working in an unpredictable and fast pace environment.

I have found my programme very interesting and enjoyable so far. I enjoy the content of the work and feel that I get great satisfaction over having my own responsibilities and working with others in the office. There is much room for me to develop many different aspects of my skill set and feel that I am being encouraged to do so by my managers and colleagues.

The programme is well structured but there is still room for flexibility to work and focus on aspects that interest you more than others. I don't however have much contact from GTG itself and feel that I don't meet with my tutor there as regularly as I should.

My employer is very supportive through my programme and help to organise out of work experiences on different courses that will benefit my understanding of the job. They allow time to work on any tasks that have been set by GTG and have become very familiar with the course and what I'm expected to cover at work.

My contact with GTG is quite low - the meetings I do have are worth while and fruitful but I don't see them for quite a few weeks at a time. They do provide some good courses that I can attend that help with my understanding of the job of which I have attended several.

They have been particularly good at going through Health and Safety issues which has helped me move about my work place without injury and aided me in identifying hazards etc. I attended a course on challenging individuals in the workplace held by GTG which has given me skills and mechanisms with talk to agitated customers and colleagues.

Yes, we had a Christmas social and a Christmas meal that helped me learn more about my colleagues and encouraged a stronger relationship between us. There is also invitations to the races and events that are held at the brewery to meet and engage with other people within the company

Yes

It's a great place to work with lots of friendly people. It's a fast pace company and they are great at supporting you through your apprenticeship. The management are friendly and the benefits you receive as an employee are good also. These include a fantastic pension scheme and privilege cards for Marston's pubs.

Be passionate about the company and show an eagerness to be involved in the evolution of the business. Be confident, friendly and show willingness to work as a team and do a bit of research on your beer! Be willing to work hard and display a good ability to stay calm and positive even in stressful situations.