Meet Callum, Graduate Management Trainee

XPO were the employer I chose to work for as they are a global organisation working with some of the world's biggest organisations.

My role within the organisation as a graduate has varied over the 20 months I have been with XPO. The first 8 month placement was split between a customer called Premier Decorations in Wrexham and XPO Leigh, the network site. This placement was great for initial exposure to the business and what to expect while working for XPO. It was customer facing, allowing development of my communication skills.

After this, my next placement was in Widnes at the XPO Tesco site. I started here a week after Go Live for XPO, which was very challenging but offered significant learning as I saw how an operation is built from the early stages. A couple of months in on this placement I took on the role of Operations Supervisor which involved fleet management, driver management and working with external stakeholders frequently.

Next, I spent 5 weeks at Radius which is another XPO customer, which I learnt the difference in operations as Tesco was a large scale operation in comparison to Radius which was significantly smaller which involved a different way of working due to the scale. After these 5 weeks I then moved to the new Daimler Truck operation in which I was given real responsibility as soon as I arrived on site, looking after Goods In and then becoming involved with continuous improvement initiatives. With 4 months left on the scheme I am now set to move on to another challenge in Dublin with Ikea.

Throughout my time on the scheme I have acquired my Transport Management CPC and hopefully by the end I will have my L3 Leadership and Management and also IOSH Managing Safely. This highlights why XPO is a great organisation to work for as they are constantly looking at ways for you to develop.

The other major factor that makes XPO a great place to work - the people. Every site I have been at the people have been great, helping you develop and supporting through anything which in turn allows you to develop a network. Not only the people on site, the support network you gain from the L&D team and Sabrina specifically who oversees the graduates.

In summary, I think it comes down to three things, the opportunities in XPO, not only from my journey but multiple managers I have worked for in XPO all started on the graduate scheme demonstrating the opportunity for development. Secondly, the people, building a network and working for and with people who want you to succeed. Lastly, the responsibility you are trusted with from early on, which only builds your confidence and experience in this industry.