Purchasing apprentice Review

My experience at Cummins has been amazing, I was nervous and overwhelmed by the sheer size of the company to begin with however everyone I came in to contact with where so welcoming and friendly my nervousness soon faded away I was eased in gently to my role, starting with small tasks to help me understand processes and procedures, I have had weekly catch ups with my supervisor along with daily support to ensure I am happy with the work I have and to asses if I can take on more complex tasks, within a year I have gone from having no experience of office work to being responsible for a number of reports, I have even taken on a large purchasing project, I offer support in other areas of the business so I can get as much from this experience as I can and continue to get support from all my colleagues. It was the best decision I could have made.

I earned my ICT level 1 and maths Level 2 qualification at college and I am working towards my purchasing qualification with Cummins by September I will also have achieved my level 2 business administration qualification at college and I will be continuing onto my level 3 qualification in September. There is continuous online training offered through cummins online learning centre accessible at all times along with hosted Webinars and skype training in the systems used, I am encouraged to work with other areas in the business to extend my knowledge past just the purchasing side. My IT skills have developed massively having been given exposure to different reports and presentations and my confidence in speaking to people especially groups of people has grown, and more than anything I have learnt that I am capable of more than I thought!.

I love it! I am given so much support from my manager, supervisor, my team and my college tutor I have learnt so much already and the potential to grow even more is always there. It has far exceeded my expectations having worked as a florist in retail for 7 years I knew I needed to get experience else ware so I could develop and grow and at 26 I knew it was a risk to start again but it really was the best thing I could have done.

My programme is very well structured both at college and at work, I was reintroduced to college learning having been out of schooling for a number of years and took to it again very quickly. I was sent on a week long induction down in Darlington at the beginning of my course to learn about the company I would be working for and to meet other new starters to the business from all over the company which was a brilliant experience. I am given 1 day a week fully dedicated to college work and learning/ developing my skills and now I do not have to attend college I can spread this through the week if I wish to fit around my work tasks, My college tutor has regular catch ups with me to discuss my progress, support with anything I'm struggling with, and guide me towards my next goals so I can complete my work to a high standard.

I have received support from day 1, I was seated between my manager and supervisor so if I had any questions they where there and could support any time, If they where unavailable my team where more than happy to support me and answer any questions so there was always someone there to help. half way through my first year my manager left the business, I was put under the purchasing director who has taken on the role as my manager and has continued to support me and encourage my development progress, the genuine desire to encourage my learning and development is so clear from everyone and I am so grateful.

I have had a good experience with college tutors, they are all approachable and willing to help, more than willing to answer any questions and guide me towards my qualification. I always get a quick response via email now I am no longer attending college and she is always there for a chat should I need it. I have been ahead with my work continually throughout my course and that is due to the support I received at college.

Although my course is not directly related to the job role I am currently in the things I have learnt have helped my understand more of the processes the business uses and it has given me knowledge I could take with me if I end up with a job at another company at the end of my apprenticeship, some areas have been so helpful and I have incorporated them into the way I work such business documentation, filing systems and developing working relationships all valuable lessons.

We have a quarterly team event I have been responsible for organising a couple, given that we are a fairly small group we did an escape room and went for a meal, this is a great way to get to know your colleagues at a more personal level and gives a well deserved break from day to day work. Cummins also offer community charity events, employees will go out into the community and volunteer to help out for the day, The last one I did was helping to set up for an event at a woodland, we set up sales stalls, organised the tom bowler while others set up gazebos and cleared areas for seating, this was really fun.

Yes

Cummins have great core values and really care about their employees, the support is brilliant and everyone you speak to is just so nice. Cummins was recommended to me by a family member and I can absolutely see why, It really is a great place to work! you get out what you put in, if you work hard and grab everything with both hands the opportunities are endless and you will make friends for life here.

When you apply be honest, advertise what qualifications you have as well as personal skills, If you go for an interview do some research on the company, what they do, there core values, and be confident and outspoken everyone is really nice and don't take the opportunity for granted, show that you really want to grow, develop and learn more about the company they really will help you!. Don't be afraid to ask questions it shows you are taking things in and want to know more. I wish I had been told that when you go for your interview its not that scary! I imagined walking into a board of important people noting down everything and analysing my answers But its really not like that.