Team Manager Review

Item: Team Manager at The Co-op
Rating: 3.8
Author: Anonymous

at The Co-op

Degree Apprenticeship

Customer Service

Lowdham

Review Submitted: February 2021

Overall Rating

3.8 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

3/5 - Overview of Role

4/5 - Skills Development

3.6/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

3/5

Actively run a small village shop within Nottinghamshire, it involves managing a team of people, inventory management, Stock management and hitting KPIs such as wastage, leakage and payroll. We also have active links with the community so we do a lot of fundraising for our national charity partner mind.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

3/5

I find this programme very challenging, especially with the covid 19 pandemic making it all virtual but it is very rewarding. i could do with more support in the store environment and that is the current challenge but this will depend on who your line manager is and how they support you. Overall the culture of the coop is fantastic outside of this and i can ask for support if i need this elsewhere

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

4/5

The degree Apprenticeship so far has been an interesting insight to what management skills are needed for field team colleagues and how all of the behaviours tie in with management and leadership.
The apprentice hours has also given me experience to develop my skills in an environment that i would have had to do for free to gain the experience

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

5/5

The programme is structured into study blocks with two or three study days a month. It means that i can schedule my whole year with my whole course already been planned out until i finish, and make it easy to do my apprenticeship on the side of this.
The support of the facilitator (ARU) has been fantastic and have been there when i have needed them.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

1/5

My current line manager is not very supportive of the apprenticeship or spending time out of store to be investing in my personal growth. I cannot fault the HR team or the apprentice team as they have tried their best but we have also been given equipment that is cheap (google Chromebook) and does not suit the needs of the course. I have also struggled to get an email address coop related to help me.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

5/5

The tutors of the university has been amazing and are there to support with the apprenticeship whenever i have needed it. Can be abit of a wait to get my OneFile marked but other then this the university have been fantastic at providing support and have made the course very enjoyable.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

3/5

I have gained a wider understanding of the impact of what i do and how i am personally as a person,
I have gained a different frame of mind when dealing with situations and people and feel more accountable and putting the theory into practice. I hope that the coop will make it easier for finished degree apprentices to have a career path though above store manager and into the field team and provide this.

Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

4/5

I get involved with the local community at my store as a part of my job and liase with the member pioneer to raise money for mind and help distribute food to different areas that would have been wasted.
I am passionate about film and cinema, travelling to malta and other countries and and attend the gym often. I also have a merlin annual pass and regularly use this with my friends.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend The Co-op to a friend?

Yes

Why?

Even though my personal experience at the moment isnt the best, the companies try hard to give a coop culture and are going in the right direction to be more inclusive and supportive. I have been in other stores where, if i was under a different line manager, i would have amazing support and be able to thrive knowing i would be managed properly.