I’ve improved my communication, people skills, confidence and also had a chance to apply my academics in to the working world!
We sat down with Alex Tate, Gist’s Industrial Placement Student based in Hemel, about his year with Gist and what he is taking back to University with him in September.
Placement Location: Hemel Foods
University: Liverpool John Moore
Degree Subject: Mathematics
What do you do on a daily basis?
In my daily role, I work as a team manager at the Hemel Foods depot within the Warehouse team. I run the operation alongside other team managers varying in experience. Each day I have to build a plan with operational goals and then proceed to manage the operatives in order to deliver this result. Day to day I have to do staff briefings, a management meeting in which we discuss our plans and also manage a team of up to 50-60 workers.
What has been your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge at Gist has been taking ownership and responsibility for my team and their efforts. I have found that during my placement that there are always opportunities to take and you are given enough responsibility to make decisions that will impact your site's performance. I have become confident in doing so and I have really enjoyed the challenge which has helped me to develop my skills.
How much responsibility do you have?
I have had the opportunity to work by myself on the back end of weekend shifts where I have been the only management team member present on site. This means I have the full responsibility for the operation and the staff onsite at this time.
What advice would you give to students who are interested in a placement with Gist?
My advice for future students would be to embrace the role as much as possible and working outside your comfort zone. Coming in to a management role at a young age can seem difficult especially when working with an experienced team, but I have personally found that working outside my comfort zone and having challenging conversations of which I had no prior experience, has helped me fit into the role and build an effective management style.
Has this experience exceeded your expectations?
After spending a year working at Gist I not only gained insight in to the world of logistics and management. I have improved my communication and people skills, confidence and had a chance to apply my academics to the working world. I have had the chance to enrol on useful training courses to assist me in my everyday role. I now feel I will go into full time employment after graduating with relevant skills and experience that I now wouldn’t have imagined obtaining if it wasn’t for doing a placement year.
Explore the current opportunities available at Gist here.