Commercial Assistant Review

My role consists of assisting the commercial lead on the project in areas such as procurement, change control, receipting of goods that get delivered to site so they can be paid for, commercially managing our supply chain and managing payments upstream and downstream.

I've learnt how to manage my tasks and time effectively through the use of 'To Do Lists' which help map out my activities and tasks that I need to get done and tick them off once complete. My knowledge of the procurement process has greatly improved as I have been heavily involved in the administration of this which has allowed me to experience the issues with this first hand and over time ways to overcome them.

My programme has enabled me to build great relationships with my colleagues as I see them day in day out, enabling me to get used to the working environment and life on a construction site. I enjoy the fact I have plenty of other apprentices around me that I can catch up and network with at events such as training events and share what we've been getting up to. This creating a new network of friends within work as opposed to just outside of work. This has exceeded my expectations as I thought i would struggle at first making friends and settling in, however with the support from the emerging talent team and other apprentices has made this an easy and smooth process.

The programme is very well structured in that we have set training courses nearly every month which are scheduled into our diaries that we all attend. We also have 6 monthly reviews with our emerging talent team which allows them to touch base with us and get an idea for how we've progressed and that any issues brought up in the most recent meeting have been addressed. These meetings allow us to discuss how we are getting on at college too and if we are in need of any assistance with that side of things.

We receive a lot of support from our employer as the apprenticeship team are always checking in on us on how we were doing and how we are progressing within our role. My line manager is also particularly helpful in my development and understanding as they regularly explain how what i'm doing fits into the bigger picture. I know the emerging talent team are always there for support when I need it and have a whole range of avenues I can go down when seeking support.

In some respects the training provided does aid me in my day-to-day role as it covers tasks that I am involved with and get experience of. This helps teach me the fundamentals of these topics however some training that has been given has been given is at too higher level, and just a brief introduction to the topic (which I don't disagree with as we all need the basic knowledge) however I feel it would be better if it took some time to focus on how we can relate and get involved at our level and what we do in our individual roles.

Yes there are a wide range of activities and volunteering events we are able to attend. Our internal learning/training hub and intranet system allows us to browse through whats on offer. We have quarterly business unit Comms sessions which are often followed by a networking event afterwards which allows you to mix with other people in your department.

Yes

They are one of the industry leaders in construction with a big reputation, making it an honour to work for such a well-respected company. With a business this size, it would be easy to assume you'd feel like a tiny fish in a big pond, however Mace provides you with plenty of opportunities to make yourself stand out from the rest and support you in achieving your goals.

Ensure that you show why you want to work for that company over any other projects as this will make you stand out. On assessment days, try to think and act in a way that suits the role you are applying for as this will show that you are suited to this role. When onboarding and starting out in the business, it is important to make your connections with people early on as this will aid you early on in settling in well and building up that network of support you need .