Apprentice buyer Review

I work in the Overhead Line Construction Procurement team at national grid, my daily role consists of supporting various projects and activities within my team. This includes interacting with external suppliers when tendering projects and liaising with the internal project team to meet deadlines, answer supplier queries and make strategy decisions.

I came into the role not knowing anything about procurement and in just over a year have learnt a great deal about the sourcing processes at national grid from shadowing and running certain projects. As well as practical experience I have been doing a CIPS Level 4 qualification in procurement and supply which involves learning about how procurement functions in different areas of business such as private and public sectors.

I enjoy my programme very much, my team and manager are so supportive in everything I do, including mistakes I have made along the way! National Grids company culture is one of support and encouragement. If there has been anything I want to develop my skills in further the company has been happy to support me, such as having meetings with people from different teams to broaden my learning.

I have a mentor for my programme that I can always call and ask any questions I might have regarding essays, exams, ideas for further development etc. Meetings with my CIPS programme are always booked in advance for me with enough time to prepare travel and accommodation, all expenses paid.

My manager has been amazing at supporting me, I came straight from A-Levels so this was my first time in an office environment. He gave me support in not only learning and development matters but also practically, how to structure formal emails, liaising with suppliers, office culture etc. I have never felt like a burden even with the "silly" questions I may have.

I have a mentor review with my training provider every couple of months, this is where we go over any outstanding task I may have and how I am finding the qualification overall. Support is always there for me, not only one but from a couple of tutors in the organisation.

My learning from my qualification has definitely helped me in my day to day role at national grid, putting into practise the tender process and negotiation methods learnt in theory has helped me better my understanding of how to be successful as a buyer and I feel more confident having the skills from my qualification applied to my role.

There are a lot of opportunities to join organisations at National Grid however with Covid I have not had the chance to fully explore them. We have mental health seminars available virtually and coffee mornings, as well as the opportunity and support to present your own ideas for activities and volunteer groups you are passionate about.

Yes

The culture at national grid is one of the main reasons I love my job, the support and friendliness of the team is always amazing. Another reason is that people in the organisation have the ability to move around a lot within teams, people are not just expected to stay in one role forever. The work we do also matters, I feel I am contributing to something that helps this country immensely.

Be passionate about what you want to achieve at National grid, do your research into the company to have something to talk about on the interview day, be honest about what you want to gain out of the experience in the apprenticeship and what your future goals might be. Assessment days, although daunting, are a really good opportunity to meet others at national grid and many people interviewing you will most likely be part of your future team so keep that in mind!