management degree apprentice Review
at Dunelm
Degree Apprenticeship
Retail Manager
Dunstable
Review Submitted: March 2024
Overall Rating
2.9 /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
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Overview of Role
3/5
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Skills Development
2.2/5
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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:
3/5
Working in store doing daily activities that vary depending on position, also sometimes juggling university assignments. Some days are study days where usually I complete university work.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
3/5
I do, sometimes day to day work is slightly boring as i feel sometimes you get shoved into a role and not encouraged to grow. However if you take it into your own hands and communicate openly then you can get a lot out of it. University is good, we have had some lecturers better than others in terms of being clear and supportive. Sometimes uni work is a lot but i get a lot of support from ,my store coach to ensure it is completed
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
3/5
Yes, instore I have learnt about self-motivation and leading a team however I feel that a lot of my knowledge and skills set are from my learnings at my previous jib but I'm sure my development will accelerate once im promoted
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
2/5
On the university side it is well structured, i always know when my assignments are and have the slides and information before each session. However Dunelm has been hit and miss with organization, from giving the wrong salary to not knowing my start date or manager, then not having a training programme. however there has always been support trying to fix these things and they have been good at listening to feedback which i have always given openly
How much support do you receive from your employer?
2/5
A lot of support from my line-manager and from the wider company, however more support is needed in terms of helping us find the content we need in our assignments. This is because we are in store and not in head office where all the information is based so it is hard for us to gather it. There could be a better system in place for this
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
A lot interms of time but not a lot interms of information and sources for assignment. However they have been helpful in terms of gathering information for our portfolios
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
Slightly, a lot of the stuff we have covered at university is somewhat relevant however for a lot of it we haven't been able to apply it yet, however i think that as we progress it will be come more useful
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
1/5
There are in head office, however as we work in stores there is little to get involved in as budgets are very tight
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Dunelm to a friend?
Yes
Why?
i would but i would give them some warning as some of the stores have slightly negative and toxic leadership teams but that is the same with most workplaces. It is not so extreme that i wouldn't recommend it. I think it is a company where you get out what you put in
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Dunelm?
Ask a lot of questions to verify salary staring date, role and expectations. Be ready to work hard and treat all of your colleagues fairly. Be ready to motivate yourself and you will get a lot out of this role
