LOGISTICS SECTOR INSIGHT

After doing my A Levels at Pipers (Economics, Psychology and Biology) I did a Business Management degree at Portsmouth University. My degree was very beneficial in widening my awareness of what business can mean, and allowed metotakemodulessuchasOperationsStrategyandtheSupplyChain Ifoundit really interesting to look further into a business than just the end customer experience,andunderstandthecomplexsystemsandprocessesrequired

I am now on the Lidl Logistics Graduate Scheme. This is a two year program which has several rotations For the two years I am based in the Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) in Peterborough Currently I am in Goods In and will be for the next few months This department's main focus is getting products into the building, storing them correctly and having them ready and organised for selection. As we intake thousands of pallets a day the department is very processfocused

Whilst the process side of the job is interesting I have also really enjoyed the team side. As part of the graduate scheme I am in a training Assistant Team Managerrole ThismeansIhavelearntalotaboutmanagementand the complex dynamicsofateam Whilst it can be overwhelming at times it is so rewarding to be part of a large team and see this develop The role has also allowed me to put a lot of the theory knowledge I have gained from education into practice and seehowforexampleHRprocessesandrequirementsactuallywork

During my graduate scheme I also had a rotation within Process My large project was to re merchandise the ambient area of the RDC This was a massive task as it required me to consider over 1,000 products which could be moved. A re-merchandise involves altering the flow of the warehouse and the order products are picked Some considerations include the store layouts, the product types, as well as packaging sizes and colours The project utilised skills such as organisation,planning,communicationandworkingtodeadlines.

The thing I most enjoy about my job is that every day is unique One day I could be doing interviews for new employees and the next I could be in a scissor lift doing inventory checks in the racking, so there are plenty of opportunities to learnanddevelopskills

The advice I would pass onto current students is to not limit your options or think you have to plan your entire life now Considering what career you want at school can be really daunting, but try and remember that especially in the climate we are in currently there arealwayschancestopivot.ThisisonereasonwhyIamextremely happy I did a Business Management degree, as it allowed me to complete a wide variety of modules, and gain more knowledge in each area. Over the three year course I slowly learnt what I found more interesting and it helped to filter potential careers I wanted todo,whichmadeapplyingforgraduatejobsfarlesschallenging.