Business Apprentice Review

My job title was "Apprentice Within Business Administration". The Apprenticeship is over 2 years and is split between 4 departments; finance (split between purchase ledger and controlling), customer services (split between direct customers and distributors), purchasing and logistics (split between production planning and transport). Daily tasks depend on the department there are also quite a few general admin duties.

Upon completion of the apprenticeship you receive a level 3 NVQ in business administration. Every department was very helpful with training and supported me to be able to carry out the required duties. EGGER run lots of internal training courses which teach you about different aspects of the company and what different departments do. I have also attended a few training sessions organised by EGGER with external trainers. These courses include Excel courses and a finance course. I attended a 3 day training course with the army reserves to improve leadership skills. I have also attended a first aid course.

The work undertaken varies depending on the department. I enjoyed all the work that I carried out especially some ad-hoc tasks where I could use my initiative and problem solving skills. Every department that I worked in was very welcoming and didn't treat me any different from a full time member of staff.

Even as an apprentice I felt valued at EGGER. 6 monthly reviews were scheduled and feedback given on my performance in that department. I received praise from managers when carrying out tasks well or above expectation. Upon leaving departments, the members of staff in the department gave me cards thanking me for the work I had done. On frequent occasions in customer services I was able to exceed the customers' expectations. They would often thank me for this which made me feel valued by the customers as well as EGGER.

The programme was very well structured. There was a full induction process which lasted a week. Training was carried onsite by an external provider. The units that were studied were tailored towards work undertaken in the departments that I was in so the work and the training supported each other.

The training for the NVQ was provided by Access Training. My assessor was Lorraine who was very helpful and approachable. There were frequent visits to review coursework and also for training for new units. I was always given study materials to support my learning and Lorraine was always helpful if I struggled with an aspect of a unit. All coursework was marked promptly.

I received a good amount of support from managers in every department that I worked in. All of my managers were more than happy for me to carry out extra duties to be able to fulfil all of the criteria on my apprenticeship. All managers and also other members of staff were very supportive throughout my apprenticeship.

The salary is fairly good considering that it is an apprenticeship. There aren't too many costs involved with the job seeing as the training provider comes to EGGER to do the training. Costs which are incurred on behalf of the company can be reimbursed.

There a lot of events and activities that take place outside of work at EGGER. I participated in social events, business meals, and charity events. There is a social committee that organise events and days out. I participated in several charity events through EGGER including EGGER runs where our entrance fees are covered for charity running events.

Yes

When I left school I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for a career. I didn't want to go and spend years studying a degree if it might not help me find a job that I want to do. The business administration apprenticeship allowed me to gain an insight into what different job roles entail. I feel that because I had completed the business apprenticeship I was in a better position to be able to apply for full time positions within the business.

All of the obvious things such as ensuring your CV is as strong as possible, if you are selected for an interview make sure you turn up on time. Make sure that you do your research on EGGER before you go into your interview. Being able to talk about its products, subsidiaries and plants across Europe gave me a big advantage in the interview. Also make sure you do plenty of practise on general interview questions.