Trade counterman Review
at Howdens
Level 2 Apprenticeship
Marketing
Horsham, West Sussex
Review Submitted: February 2023
Overall Rating
4 /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!
4/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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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:
4/5
My role involves serving customers to the best of my ability and exceeding their expectations in terms of customer service, as well as counting and helping to control the depots stock, creating, chasing and following through on leads for customers as well as reaching out to customers to see if they have any jobs we could assist with.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
So far I am 6 months into the apprenticeship and I have really enjoyed it up to this point. It has been such a change from college and school before that. I enjoy talking to the people who are coming into the depot and satisfying their expectations is nice. The coursework I work through alongside is a nice change from work and is challenging to work through at times
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
Some of the new skills that I have learnt whilst in my apprenticeship at Howdens include customer service skills and how to use the K8 software used to create and sell orders, whilst further developing my communication, listening, memory, product knowledge skills and time management skills to list a few.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
In my opinion the structure of the program I am working through is fairly well organised as it is fairly linear and easy to understand with some overarching tasks that take longer to complete are allocated more time, with shorter tasks having less. from the very start my tutor has shown me how my course is structured and made sure I understand
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
I receive more than enough support within the workplace from all the other members of staff around me to assist me with any issues that I encounter. Everyone is very supportive and is happy to help on a moments notice or even to jump out on the counter to cover for me if theres another task I need to do
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
2/5
My training provider/ tutor only comes in on a monthly basis and so the amount of support I get from him is a bit limited but for when he does come in the support is all I could ask for. Something that could maybe be improved in this area would be to increase the amount of times I see him to talk in person
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
I feel that some of the aspects of my qualification helps me to perform better in my job role. Aspects such as understanding the job role in more detail and the little things that make it up, business backgrounds and the structures of different businesses, and some of the things that go on behind the scenes of businesses all help my role
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
There are some extra curricular activities that Howdens offer. some of the extra curricular activities offered are a rounders event, a go karting event and some online courses to help you understand some of the items a little more. alongside this there are also talks held between employees to talk through some ideas that may be implamented
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Howdens to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I would recommend Howdens to a friend as my experience with the business thus far has been positive. we offer a fast and friendly service and hold items in stock for same day take away. In terms of products we offer one of the widest selections of ranges and colours.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Howdens?
Some advice I would give to anyone who is wishing to apply to Howdens would be to be confident in their role and really get to know the products they are selling, so that when they are talking to customers they are confident and know what it is they are talking about
