CASESTUDIES


Chris Smith is a contract manager at Gist


chose to apply to Gist’s operational management industrial placement scheme because I wanted to start an adventure that would be interesting and different. Logistics is an industry that doesn’t promote itself, yet is vital for everything else to work. The opportunities on offer at Gist in my mind could not be matched by any other company, and I knew that with hard work, I would have the opportunity to return to Gist on the graduate management trainee scheme, which is exactly what happened. Depending on if you are working with transport or in the warehouse, your day as a manager can consist of many different things. The biggest part of my job there was the management of 100 employees, which could be very challenging at times, but it is all about making sure people are producing their


I best work.


I think the main surprise from the Gist graduate scheme is how quickly you can succeed and progress if you perform well and put the hard work in. Graduates are encouraged to take on new and


Bartek Zajac is a computer science teacher and graduate of the AET School Direct programme


I


always wanted a job where I can make a real difference to people’s lives, and a career to give me both pleasure and a sense of fulfilment. Working as a teacher and helping young people to learn and grow has


28 | GradJobs.co.uk | Autumn 2016


definitely maximised its potential to fulfil all of these requirements. Academies Enterprise Trust and my chosen academy, Broadlands Academy, were extremely supportive from the very beginning. They hold a number of recruitment fairs where the programme is fully explained. The interview process was pretty straightforward: I was asked to lead an activity with a small group of students, followed by an interview before I was offered a training place. Even though I hold degrees in chemistry and philosophy, I was allowed to train in my newest area of interest, as a computer science teacher. Before the programme commenced, Academies Enterprise Trust held a conference for School Direct trainees where I had a chance to meet inspirational teachers, get great advice and lots of helpful tips to prepare me for the year ahead. It was also a great opportunity to network with trainees from a wide range of subjects in exactly the same position as me – poised to embark on their teaching career. Broadlands Academy also recruited other trainees across a range of subjects, and this provided a great


exciting challenges and are supported with planned development, with the aim of developing them into future business leaders. Having gained experience in


warehouse, transport and project management during the scheme, I rolled off at the beginning of May this year to start my new chapter within Gist. I was offered a promotion to become the new contract manager for one of our accounts. This role was something I strived and pushed for, and, with the support of the graduate team, it became a reality. It’s great to think that after less than three years working with Gist on the industrial placement and graduate schemes, I now oversee a whole operation that includes team managers, warehouse operatives and administration employees. If you share Gist’s passion for people,


you are extremely driven and want to develop yourself, visit gistworld.com/ careers for more information.


opportunity for us to support each other through our training year. The academy offered great flexibility to our training needs while ensuring we were fully supported, were provided a range of experiences, and were sufficiently challenged to ensure we were ready to meet the demands of being a teacher in the current educational landscape. Our previous experiences in working with young people were considered and we had a range of different timetables adjusted to our levels of confidence in the classroom.


Having my own tutor group this year


has confirmed how important this job is and I don’t regret my decision of a career change to become a teacher. I can already say without question that training through the School Direct programme, and the subsequent opportunity to take up my first post in the same academy, has already given me a confident and positive start to my teaching career.


Although teaching can be challenging, with the right attitude and support, I know this is the best career choice for me and I would recommend it to anyone! n


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