Meet James, 23, from Somerset, and find out more about his life as a manager. Part of our Bitesize world of work series.
James:
I'm James, I'm 24 years old, and I'm an operations graduate.
I work for the second largest delivery company in the UK, making sure that over 100 staff get parcels distributed to the right areas on time. I'm halfway through my fifteen-month graduate scheme working my way towards a full-time operations management position. A graduate scheme involves working in all different facets of the company in order to fully understand all of the processes. In our two national hubs, parcels come in at one side, they're then loaded onto a sortation belt, where they're automatically scanned and sorted into the 27 regional depots on the other side of the warehouse, where trailers then ship them to each part of the country. Over the Christmas period, I had to manage over 120 staff dealing with over 200,000 parcels, each day.
After completing my A-levels, I studied Geography at university. However, I wasn't too sure that this was the career path I wanted to go into, so I did a Business Management master's degree in order to further tailor my education and open up more doors for the future. Towards the end of my Business Management master's degree, I started looking for full-time employment. I chose this graduate scheme because of the rotational elements to it, which means every three months, I go to a different part of the supply chain. This means that I learn throughout my time here, whilst also giving me the opportunity to be a manager early on in my career.
James' colleague:
James has displayed enormous amount of enthusiasm and passion and has clearly got key – team engagement, planning, communication. I think James will be a future star for this company.
James:
Working for an international business is great because of the opportunities it presents. For instance, I've always wanted to travel around Europe. I'm working for a German company. This will enable me to travel whilst earning. There’s no greater match than that.
Working for an international business is great because of the opportunities it presents. For instance, I've always wanted to travel around Europe. I'm working for a German company and this will enable me to travel whilst earning.
James is halfway through a 15-month graduate scheme, working towards a full-time operations management position for the UK's second largest delivery company, Hermes.
After his A-levels, James studied Geography at university. However, he wasn't too sure if this was the career path for him, so he did a Business Management master's degree to open up more doors in the future
He chose this graduate scheme because he gets to try out different areas of the company, which means that he learns a lot whilst he is working and has the chance to be a manager early on in his career.
James is an operations graduate. A role similar to James' is a warehouse manager. Warehouse managers are responsible for the smooth running of a warehouse, making sure goods are received, stored and sent out safely and efficiently.
What to expect if you want to be a warehouse manager
- Warehouse manager average salary: £25,000 to £42,000
- Warehouse manager typical working hours: 40 to 42 hours per week. You could work evenings, weekends and bank holidays on shifts.
What qualifications do you need to be a warehouse manager?
You could get into this role via a university course, a college course, an apprenticeship working your way into the role or applying directly.
This information is a guide and is constantly changing. Please check the National Careers Service website for the latest information and all the qualifications needed. (sources: National Careers Service)
For careers advice in all parts of the UK visit: National Careers Service (England), nidirect (Northern Ireland), My World of Work (Scotland) and Careers Wales (Wales).
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