Company: GXO
Role: Business Development
I’m Josh Micklethwaite and I am a Graduate of the Supply Chain Degree Apprenticeship programme. My current role is within Business Development in our Public and Industrial sector.
Having studied Business and Accounting at college, I had a real drive to pursue a career within these areas. This led me to discover the Degree Apprenticeship programme. The fundamentals and importance of the supply chain sector were never tuly explored in my educational experience; however, with the plethora of career paths and value that there are, I was really determined to make a career within this sector.
For just shy of four years, I worked on the B&Q contract at Redhouse, Doncaster. Initially, I worked throughout all areas of the warehouse to get a real understanding of how the operation worked. The hands on learning really provided me with strong foundational knowledge in order to progress to a more managerial role, which was being an integral part of B&Q’s stock network. Having a full-time role alongside working towards the achievement of my degree was a great challenge and allowed me to gain valuable experience.
The thing that I enjoyed the most about my degree apprenticeship was getting involved with the working environment and meeting new people from various backgrounds and cultures, alongside all the opportunities that arise throughout the programme. Balancing the university workload with a full-time role is challenging but worth the feeling at the end upon completion! One of my biggest takeaways from the programme was how important adaptability is within the sector. Every day new challenges arise, pushing yourself to test your skills whilst taking on the vital learning experiences for your future development. As part of the course, you learn key models and theories and how they are put into practice within the workplace. As well as this, the course requires workplace projects to be undertaken, which enables you to put into practice all the supply chain knowledge you have studied.
Pursuing a career in Supply Chain and logistics can lead to so many different opportunities, and whilst currently working within business development, I am keen to apply my supply chain knowledge and experiences to deliver growth for the business. I have learnt to expect the unexpected, and that’s exciting! For those thinking about an apprenticeship, relish the challenges and opportunities. Manage workload effectively, in particular with university studies, and just enjoy it! Don’t be afraid to ask questions! There are plenty of current and former apprentices within the business who are very approachable and would happily give advice and help you out!