Graduate operations management trainee Review

i manage two small teams responsible for administrative tasks so i am gaining understanding of their role, my day to day involves people management conducting 121's with my team, reviewing task SLA's and handling any escalations/complaints/or issues within the team or relating to their work including risk event management. i will be managing different teams within my business area to gain a wider understanding of the business and its elements throughout the course of my apprenticeship.

i've developed my skills in people management as well as developed and continuing to develop knowledge and experience of process management. In my role i have a lot of say in how we process things and identifying potentials risks and or improvements to process and rolling these out within my teams.

i have enjoyed learning all i have done so far and am keen to keep learning more but have had difficulties and frustrations with my learning provider that have impacted my experience of the programme itself. there hasn't been the most organization to my programme at time which can be difficult at times.

Initially it seemed there was a lot of structure however some flexibility has been needed due to the pandemic and other factors. i feel i'm often left wondering what the next step for me is as i've struggled to gain clarification on this and what my role will be at the end of the programme

There is plenty of support available through my manager, mentors and apprenticeship manger too. The support from my learning provider has been a let down and this has been fed back to them directly. Although my manager is personally supportive i don't feel i've been given the exposure needed through my manager to set me on my future path, rather i'm experiencing a lot of the same thing.

This has varied as i have had problems with my training provider throughout and have had a change in learning coach during my course so far too. Early on i felt i wasn't provided a lot of information about the course and how to approach it and had to ask for a lot of extra resources and help to understand what i was working towards.

i feel it does give me some tools that i can take away and apply to my working life however sometimes the requirements of the programme to evidence and over evidence things can make it feel very tick box task rather than a true learning experience to help me in my role

yes there are lots of different ways to engage with colleague across the society and a specific emphasis on sharing wellbeing tips and experiences whilst remotely working during the pandemic. There are usually socials arranged, staff association trips and activities available so there is plenty going on if you like to get involved

Yes

The Society truly is a nice place to work, i believe in their vision and purpose and their approach to workplace culture. i have worked for a larger company and can feel the difference and more human element of working for the society which is a lot smaller than my previous employer. i do feel safe and secure in my role at the society and that i can achieve my potential here with the right support.

Read up on who we are, look at our vision and strategy and how we deliver upon this. Its at the heart of everything we do and will definitely come up in an apprentice interview. Understanding our culture will be a key piece of information to knowing if we're the right place for you