I applied for a management trainee placement programme at Enterprise Rent-A-Car while at Leeds University studying Information Systems and Management. On looking through a number of different business placements, Enterprise Rent-A-Car definitely stood out in terms of offering a programme which provided an opportunity to have real responsibility and impact within the Management Trainee role, and essentially learn how to run a business.
During my placement with Enterprise I was given the chance to work within two different rental locations in Enterprise’s North England region and had great exposure to a range of key areas of the business, including sales, marketing, customer service and financial management. I worked with fantastic, really supportive teams throughout the year, enabling me to learn a great deal during my placement.
Throughout the year I and other members of the programme were provided with valuable on-the-job and dedicated training sessions, ensuring we had a good understanding of the broader business and key interactions between different departments.
Following my final year at Leeds University, I returned to Enterprise to work within the South East regional head office as an area accountant in the business management department. This position was to assist branch and area rental managers in better understanding areas directly relating to their financial performance. This enabled me to utilise and further develop skills acquired within the business element of my degree, gain exposure to different areas of the business and have the opportunity to assist and directly impact branches’ profitability.
While working at this location I received key training and experience working with a number of different departments, and after two years I relocated to the main head office location in London, joining the South East business management team. I continued to work alongside great teams, interact with a range of departments and receive incredibly valuable training, guidance and support, further broadening my knowledge of the business and enabling me to progress.
I believe one of my best career experiences was the progression through the various business management roles, requiring me to complete two separate grill interviews. This enabled me, nine months after joining the London office, to combine my current skills set and apply for and obtain a promotion within a new department at the Corporate Head Office, UK IT Infrastructure, as vendor services administrator.
A further highlight would subsequently be the experience, operational understanding and skills that I gained within the IT department from the teams I worked with. This led to the promotion to my current position of vendor services manager, which involves the utilisation of both business and operational IT skills in working with vendors to ensure maximum value is provided in the items we procure, as well as analysing further business elements of the department.
The skills I gained and Enterprise’s culture of providing career opportunities and continual guidance and development clearly enabled me to be in a position to apply for these roles. It has also been apparent from the start of working at Enterprise that opportunities are available throughout your career if you are willing to work for them. Therefore I have learnt to take advantage of opportunities where they arise, build upon and develop my career and always look for ways to ensure my current skill set is best serving the company.
The management trainee programme provided a great learning experience within our rental environment, enabled me to learn about our overall business operation from the outset of my career and work with a great number of teams and fantastic people.
I feel this knowledge greatly assisted me when starting out in the business management department, as I had a good understanding of our business as a whole, and how the rental branches I would be assisting operated. Following this, the financial and business management skills I built upon while working within an accountant role I believe positioned me to be able to apply for the vendor services role within IT, assessing financial elements of the department’s operations.
The management trainee programme really does provide a thorough and key understanding of the business from day one, which, coupled with the opportunities available and support provided, enables you to pursue and build a career in areas that you are passionate.
As I progress through my career, my aspirations are to ensure I continue to further develop my skills and build upon my experiences, ensuring I am best serving the company at all times as well as assisting my personal development, bringing the maximum value I can to the business.