HR Project Manager Review

When I began my apprenticeship my responsibilities were to facilitate training, support the delivery of the talent strategy and process, and identify capability gaps and build solutions. I also partnered with business stakeholders in order to define, design, and deliver talent and learning interventions. Additionally I managed various projects during this time.

My biggest learning area while on the apprenticeship was the opportunities around blended and digital learning approaches - using the power of new technology to create a different experience for learners. This was in part due to my CIPD modules and in part due to the changes brought about by Covid.

The programme met my expectations and I was fortunate to have other apprentices from the company join the programme at the same time as me, which helped me learn through others. I've had great support from my company too. They've made sure I have sufficient opportunity to apply my learning.

The induction was helpful to get an understanding of the programme, however there was a few months gap between my programme induction and my first CIPD module. I feel that I could have probably used this time to begin working on my on the job learning and apprenticeship admin had I been briefed more about this at the induction. The support from my LDC and my organisation's apprenticeship team was very valuable.

My managers have been great at supporting me, and very happy for me to speak out where I would like to gain more experience in a certain area of my apprenticeship. I've also had brilliant support from my organisation's apprenticeship team who gave me insight into the gateway process.

My Learning Development Coaches were very helpful in our meetings and always gave me the chance to ask questions no matter how basic. They also gave me tools to support my apprenticeship admin and guides to support my gateway application. We had regular virtual meetings during my CIPD modules and they also recorded guidance about the EPA process.

I have definitely put my apprenticeship learning into practice on various projects in my day to day role. My CIPD modules were very relevant to the work I was doing in my role - including the focus on data insights, hybrid learning, and new technology. I also got to hear from a variety of industry experts in my CIPD modules.

I have been involved in company events such as huddles, training and development, team away days, christmas socials (virtual and in person), and also a volunteering day. I have also enjoyed events held by our colleauge networks, such as a Lunch & Learn about Diwali from our Ethnically Diverse colleague network.

Yes

The culture and people at Sainsbury's are second to none. The organisation itself has a brilliant strategy that colleagues really get behind, and the HR team itself is great when it comes to personal development, career pathing, and networking. There's loads to get involved in too with the colleague networks.

I would recommend looking up information on our website about our valued behaviours, our strategy, industry market research, and our brand heritage. Ask lots of questions at your interview and really think about what value you can bring to the team. Use the STAR technique to structure your answers for the interviews.