Team Manager Review

Actively run a small village shop within Nottinghamshire, it involves managing a team of people, inventory management, Stock management and hitting KPIs such as wastage, leakage and payroll. We also have active links with the community so we do a lot of fundraising for our national charity partner mind.

The degree Apprenticeship so far has been an interesting insight to what management skills are needed for field team colleagues and how all of the behaviours tie in with management and leadership. The apprentice hours has also given me experience to develop my skills in an environment that i would have had to do for free to gain the experience

I find this programme very challenging, especially with the covid 19 pandemic making it all virtual but it is very rewarding. i could do with more support in the store environment and that is the current challenge but this will depend on who your line manager is and how they support you. Overall the culture of the coop is fantastic outside of this and i can ask for support if i need this elsewhere

The programme is structured into study blocks with two or three study days a month. It means that i can schedule my whole year with my whole course already been planned out until i finish, and make it easy to do my apprenticeship on the side of this. The support of the facilitator (ARU) has been fantastic and have been there when i have needed them.

My current line manager is not very supportive of the apprenticeship or spending time out of store to be investing in my personal growth. I cannot fault the HR team or the apprentice team as they have tried their best but we have also been given equipment that is cheap (google Chromebook) and does not suit the needs of the course. I have also struggled to get an email address coop related to help me.

The tutors of the university has been amazing and are there to support with the apprenticeship whenever i have needed it. Can be abit of a wait to get my OneFile marked but other then this the university have been fantastic at providing support and have made the course very enjoyable.

I have gained a wider understanding of the impact of what i do and how i am personally as a person, I have gained a different frame of mind when dealing with situations and people and feel more accountable and putting the theory into practice. I hope that the coop will make it easier for finished degree apprentices to have a career path though above store manager and into the field team and provide this.

I get involved with the local community at my store as a part of my job and liase with the member pioneer to raise money for mind and help distribute food to different areas that would have been wasted. I am passionate about film and cinema, travelling to malta and other countries and and attend the gym often. I also have a merlin annual pass and regularly use this with my friends.

Yes

Even though my personal experience at the moment isnt the best, the companies try hard to give a coop culture and are going in the right direction to be more inclusive and supportive. I have been in other stores where, if i was under a different line manager, i would have amazing support and be able to thrive knowing i would be managed properly.

The interviews for this apprenticeship is hard, but if you can get through the coop assessments.