Tool hire assistant Review

I deliver tool hire to customers , taking orders over the phone , email and face to face.Arranging for equipment to be delivered locally and to areas across the country. Looking after customer accounts , setting up prices in order to give them the best prices in line with the services they require. I also service the equipment ready for hiring, testing it to make sure its safe and ready for hire. I have an involvement in health and safety within the team also.

Since starting the role I have developed skills in testing tool hire equipment. Learning how to test and service the kit so it is safe and ready for hire. The apprenticeship helped me gain skills in how to manage a team in order to provide good customer service. I have also further developed my customer service skills for example when setting up customer prices and building a relationship with new accounts to get them set up and delivering the best service.

I enjoyed the team that I worked with as they were are supportive and helpful. I also enjoyed going on workshops meeting new people on the course and then being able to use those skills when I got back to the workplace. It was more difficult than I expected with time management trying to complete my work alongside carrying out my day to day role within the business but was overcome once I got a timetable in place.

At the start of the programme there was some organisational issues with mentors not being put in place and the e-tracking system for uploading work . This set us back from the start which I felt was difficult to catch up from this point. Training workshops were well organised with plenty of notice and were well set up. The structure of the programme was good but did feel like there was a lot of work at once which made it difficult to keep up with.

I received a lot of support from my employer. My manager at the time allowed me to book time outside of the office to catch up on my work and also there were catch up sessions organised towards the end of the programme where I could go to work through the course alongside others who were doing the same. My mentor was also available when needed and got back to me promptly with any questions that I had and with feedback on my work.

Overall there was support for me throughout the programme and once the mentors were in place, even though it was an issue at the start once we were settled there were regular meetings to review my progress and to answer question on areas I was unsure on. It was clear where to go for support when it was needed with various people able to help with problems. Time was the main struggle trying to get the training and qualifications alongside carrying out my job role.

Throughout the training there was always opportunities to put the learning in to practice in order to complete the work. Now that the training has finished I do use what I have learned on a day to day basis when working with the team and individually. It has helped me understand the way the business work and use this when serving our customers and when working alongside the team. I am also better equipped for new roles in the future.

Throughout my time at the company there have been social activities outside of work such as the branch going to do crazy golf and for food and drinks. These are not regular activities but are organised for occasions or events for the team to get together in an environment outside of the workplace. There are no regular events or activities that are in place. Any activities I do outside of work are not linked to work.

Yes

I have had a good experience working for Travis Perkins especially with the team I have been working with. There has always been support from management to help further my development. The apprenticeship opened up opportunities to meet others within the business and learn off them. There have been lots of opportunities to develop and gain new skills and training to go along with this to help further my skills and knowledge within the business.

When applying to Travis Perkins I would advise to do research on the company prior to the interview to have a better understanding of the companies principles and cornerstones. This would help on the interviews and also on your knowledge of the company. Also to ask lots of questions on the interview of exactly what the job role entails and the expectations for this. I would advise that there are opportunities for development and training provided to help gain new skills and further existing ones.