Supply Chain Management apprentice Review

Currently a First Line Manager running up to 3 areas at my site. This involves giving morning briefs, ensuring all colleagues are on site and assigning roles in the workplace. It also involves reporting updates and challenges to operations and ensuring the teams hit targets to meet the customer KPI's.

Within my 5 months of being an apprentice I have developed a wide range of personal and work based skills. I have improved my team working/management skills by running multiple areas in the warehouse. I have been able to become more organized as deadlines are very important to ensure the customer is satisfied.

The programme is challenging and requires a lot of resilience and determination. Shift work is not enjoyable and unfortunately I do not enjoy the contract I am on, however i enjoy working in a diverse team and being able to learn from different cultures and perspectives. Because of the nature of the customer, there is high pressure from operations which results in high stress levels.

The university programme is very well structured and gives a clear view of content and targets. The apprenticeship however, at my site, is not very structured and requires me to find the training needed. There was no plan in place when I arrived and I have had to learn from others to ensure I have enough knowledge.

Support is received when needed from HR. However, support on the shop floor could be improved. I am quite frequently expected to perform as well as other more experienced managers which can be discouraging. When I have requested help with training etc, i am told to find it myself or ask for someone to arrange. As an apprentice I would have thought tasks would already be in place... instead of having to find it myself.

There is a lot of support from Aston University. they are very accommodating and provide high level feedback on essays and work in class. There is an opportunity to ask questions or raise issues every week in our lectures, to ensure we are developing ourselves and implementing learnings into the workplace

As of now, the qualification helps understanding the theory behind processes and decisions which occur in the supply chain. Aston provide real world examples of all their teachings to enable us to link theory to our workplace. The information provided in lectures is of high detail and is explained at a high level.

There are events held quite frequently over zoom and in person. I have not yet attended any social events however, i am aware there are many initiatives and extra curricular activities to get involved in within DHL. They provide a lot of networking events and encourage site visits to different contracts etc.

No

I can only speak on my experience. I am under a lot of pressure and stress and do not enjoy the contract i am on. I have received very little training and support

Make sure to research the employer and understand their key roles within the industry. In assessment days, be yourself and dont be afraid to speak up if you have an idea or recommendation. The onboarding process was very easy