Much of my time in sixth form was heavily disrupted by the pandemic meaning that my experience of school was disappointing and not necessarily how I expected it to be. After finishing my sixth form studies in June 2021, I was left feeling almost lost and unsure of where I wanted my career to go. For quite some time, I’ve been interested in science, more specifically in chemistry so when I heard that Belzona were recruiting it seemed ideal. Particularly considering my dad has worked for the company for a number of years and has always seemed to be content here.
Initially, I began as a Production Operative, which was a suitable job at the time, although I knew that I wanted to broaden my horizon, learn more about the Business and expand my business knowledge. When searching for further opportunities within Belzona, I discovered their Training and Development Programme, which is designed to expose those who are new to the Business to all its different aspects. This allows the trainee to identify their own interests and secure a career in an industry-leading company.
As well as aiming to increase my business knowledge and experience, my mentor and I created a personal development plan. Within this, we identified specific areas of self-improvement that I wanted to focus on. I aimed to improve my public speaking and written communication skills, as I have had little exposure to these areas in a business environment.
My time so far on the Training and Development Programme has covered many different departments, among these are:
• Pack Assembly: This is where I initially began and spent two weeks learning the processes involved in the exportation of products and the different regulations that different regions have.
• IT: I helped with managing the service desk and began to learn about all the IT infrastructure which is necessary for the Business to run. In addition to this I began to learn HTML code which is a highly sought after language and often used in front-end web design.
• Regulatory Affairs/QSHE/Purchasing: These departments were combined as their roles contain a lot of crossovers. There was a heavy emphasis on improving my knowledge of MRP (Material Resource Planning) as that is a key aspect for purchasing raw materials. This links to regulatory affairs and QSHE, as there is a huge amount of literature and documentation regarding the import and export of chemicals and the health and safety implications regarding different materials.
• Production Planning: In production planning, I learnt how to run MRP and determine when and how to raise batches to be manufactured and filled off. I found this particularly interesting as it gave me a behind-the-scenes insight into my previous role.
• Applications Training: Much of my time in applications was during training courses which I was lucky enough to take part in, I also helped in the setting up and execution of both a Belzona Superwrap II course and a bespoke hand-applied course which I found very rewarding.
• Marketing: My time in marketing was spent learning about the process of how literature is created and the different formats that it can come in. As well as this, I created a Know-How In Action (KHIA) which shows how products can be used in specific circumstances this was a good way to reinforce my product knowledge.
So far, the course has been extremely rewarding in a variety of different aspects. Several people have said to me that I am beginning to develop a unique perspective of the business, thus becoming a valuable asset. There have been many highlights, although taking part in the Belzona Superwrap II training course and learning about the IT infrastructure have been the most enjoyable experiences so far. The Belzona Superwrap II course has allowed me to gain experience from the customers’ perspective, providing another point of view on how Belzona operates.
I am looking forward to seeing what the rest of the program has to offer, and am keen to see where a career at Belzona could lead me.
Did you know, Belzona offers a special Training and Development Programme for school leavers?
Content Creator, Belzona Inc., Harrogate, UK.
Responsible for writing a range of content including blog posts, press releases and a range of marketing material.
