Supervisor Review

I work as a supervisor at a food orientated pub. I open and close the pub, run shifts, and make sure everything goes smoothly. I can deal with customer complaints and dealing with stakeholder relationships in general. I make sure we are compliant with policies and procedures, and make sure everyone is safe during my shifts. I delegate tasks and make management decisions.

We have had several new systems put into place over the last year that I have learnt to use. I have also been able to work on my conflict management skills and definitely feel like I have improved not only my ability to deal with conflict but also my confidence surrounding conflict management by completing this apprenticeship. I have also learnt more about self-awareness and emotional intelligence and have been able to take these skills forward in supporting my team.

I enjoyed my programme very much. I particularly enjoyed the workshops that HIT training provided. They were very informative as well as being enjoyable. I was also able to meet people from other sectors and learn from them. I personally would have preferred more structure to the course but I have now learnt from experience and if I was to complete another apprenticeship, I would be able to plan my year better and that would cause me less stress.

The workshops are very well organised and structured, as are the online modules that accompany them. I personally found the creating of my portfolio to be less structured as, as long as it all got done by the end of the 12 months then you were fine. I work better with more structure and definite deadlines so, while I got all the work done in good time, it would have caused me less stress if I had better understood how much work I had needed to do at particular points in the year.

I received full support from my employer. The nature of my job supports flexibility anyway but this was especially helpful in supporting me to complete the apprenticeship while working. My General Manager in particular was very supportive - always making sure I had the time off I needed for workshops and meetings and being there when I needed advice.

While the course itself had an element of unpredictability for me, my training provider was always there when I had questions or needed support. I could email or text whenever I needed help and my trainer always got back to me quickly. They really helped to boost my confidence throughout the year and were excellent in their job role.

My qualification, and the process of completing it, has helped me become more self-aware of what I do and how I react in certain situations. Learning about management theories and emotional intelligence and performance management theories, has helped me reflect on what I do and how that affects my team. I have since been able to use that reflection and newfound knowledge to improve my skills and improve my relationships with my team.

As an individual pub we have our own social activities such as end of month parties and gatherings. The company has social media accounts to connect us all and people can support other's endeavours through that. We also have access to an online training platform and through that you can sign up to join in person training courses and events throughout the country.

Yes

If you are looking for great flexibility in a fun place to work then Marston's is for you. My workplace helps me feel safe and supported, and I enjoy working there. They also have better communication with their teams than other companies and they really do try to incentivise team members throughout the year.

Always visit your proprosed workplace to see what it is like. While meeting new people is scary, try and open yourself up to interacting with the team as everyone I have met in Marston's is really friendly and easy to get on with. Make use of the extra training opportunities as they really go a long way to helping you develop your skills and give you qualifications you can use in the future.