After completing his GCSEs, Craig Cahill from the Everton district decided that he wasn’t suited to further academic study, and wanted to do something more practical.
Initially, he started a plumbing course, but decided that it wasn’t for him and began to look at other alternatives.
Craig learned of a vacancy for a pre-apprenticeship in Warehousing at the University of Liverpool and successfully applied for it. The position was in the stores in the Institute of Integrative Biology at the University. The Institute is home to world class facilities and hosts several of the faculty’s shared research platforms, including key elements of the national research infrastructure. These platforms provide users, from academia and industry with a unique combination of state of the art equipment and supporting expertise.
Craig made good progress, and was pleased to be offered a Level 2 Apprenticeship in Warehousing and Storage, which he started in September 2015. He works in a team of four whose role is to look after the ordering, supply and control of all materials, consumables, and equipment for the Institute.
Craig’s work involves dealing with deliveries of materials and equipment, processing orders, serving customers, checking stock levels, stock rotation and liaising with the accounts team.
The Level 2 Certificate in Warehousing and Storage consists of two mandatory units, covering health and safety and developing effective working relationships, and a number of optional units including processing and assembling customer orders, receiving goods, maintaining safety of hazardous goods and materials, and audit procedures.
The training takes place in the workplace and Craig’s Growth Company assessor, Ged Leckey visits him on site monthly to assess his progress and set assignments, including work on English, maths and functional skills. They also correspond regularly by email to address any issues that Craig is facing with his apprenticeship.
Craig said: “The assignments are great, as they totally fit in with my normal work and help me understand the work of the department better. Ged has been very helpful and is always available if I need any help. The team here have been very welcoming, and make me feel like an important part of the team, and not just a junior.
“I’m really happy that I got this apprenticeship, and I hope to stay on at the University and further develop my career. I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship to my friends, as it’s enabled me to develop new skills in the workplace, while getting paid and working with some great people.”
Stores Manager Martin Brady, who is Craig’s supervisor said: “Craig has really risen to the challenge during his time here. He has fitted well into the team, and we’ve had very positive feedback about him from staff at all levels. The fact that he’s following such a well-structured training programme is giving him a solid foundation of warehousing and storage skills.
“We’re currently going through an internal reorganisation, and are very hopeful that Craig’s position will feature in the new structure, and that he’ll continue to develop his skills and experience with us beyond the end of his apprenticeship.”
Craig is now a full-time permanent staff member at the university doing the job that he loves.
Craig said about securing this position: “This is an amazing opportunity and it’s great to be part of the department. I love my job and the team of people I work with. I feel this opportunity has opened doors for me now that I have the right skills and experience to adapt to different situations I may face.”
Craig said he has definitely found his long term career and would like to remain within the stores team to progress and grow, gaining more responsibility and moving to more senior positions quoting “one day I might take over my manager!”
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