Trainee Supervisor Review
at Iceland Frozen Foods
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Customer Service
Poole, Dorset
Review Submitted: March 2022
Overall Rating
3.9 /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!
3.5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
3.4/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
On a day to day basis, I manage the employees in store if I am duty manager, or follow the instructions of a higher member of management if applicable. I pick stock to be put out by staff and complete admin tasks where applicable, be it daily waste routines, cash count or other
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
2/5
It can be lacklustre and boring at times, due to some content that I find to be non-applicable to my job. This is mainly due to the fact that the apprenticeship is run by another outside company, who makes standard apprenticeships for many supermarket chains. This means I often have to work around knowing little to nothing about subject matters
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
I have learnt how to communicate better in regards to challenging conversations with members of staff, customers or area management, I have learned new skills to promote sales and customer experience, as well as skills to support my employees, as well as my fellow managers to make their jobs easier
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
5/5
Very well structured, it's split up into 12 modules, each is meant to take around 1 month for the total year length programme. I do a zoom call or an instore visit with my coordinator every month or so to speak about any issues and progress, this helps to keep things moving
How much support do you receive from your employer?
2/5
The store used to receive extra hours in the budget to allow for me to take time off to work on my apprenticeship each week, however this was changed recently with budget cuts to completely remove these hours, citing the reason of receiving enough instore training, this I do not receive
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
Enough, my mentor is very helpful, and is available 5 days a week, 8 hours a day if I need support. The frequent calls also give me the opportunity to raise any issues I encounter with my apprenticeship work or my instore training. I don't need a lot of support.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
It teaches me important skills to use in my daily work, specifically how to deal with customers, staff, different situations and more. I think I definitely learn more about how to successfully do my job instore, however the modules for my apprenticeship help me with more indepth skills that I don't use everyday
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
2/5
not really, we occasionally go out for a meal or a few drinks when the social fund has built up a bit, but that's pretty much it. we get money from the company for these social activities whenever we do well on a sales incentive against other stores in the area
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Iceland Frozen Foods to a friend?
No
Why?
salary/wage is very low for the industry, I know people who get paid 2/3/4 pound an hour more than I do as a cashier in a rival chain. the progression pathway is badly formed and hard to start on. the company is constantly making cuts to hours
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Iceland Frozen Foods?
just be friendly and emphasize the fact that you're reliable, polite and have a flexible schedule as the most important thing to most store managers is covering shifts and working whenever they need you. don't expect regular hours either, you'll be stuck on 8 hours a week unless they need you more
