Q&A with PG’s Apprentice, Erin This International Youth Day
Today marks International Youth Day. This years’ theme “Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”, highlights that the success of such a global effort will not be achieved without the meaningful participation of young people.
At PG Paper the “meaningful participation of young people” is something we value and promote across our business. In the past, we have had recent graduates join us directly after graduating from university, welcomed interns for work experience during the holidays, as well as recruiting apprentices to join our team and develop new skills as they enter the world of work. All of which have supported our business in new, innovative ways.
So today we’re sharing a Q&A with our wonderful apprentice, Erin.
How did you find out and apply for the PG Apprenticeship?
“I was searching through Facebook one day looking for a new and exciting career path. I came across the Skills Development Scotland page and noticed a Modern Apprenticeship for Digital Applications. I followed the link to the QA website where I was pleasantly surprised to see that the apprenticeship was with PG Paper – a popular paper trading company based in my hometown! After reading into the apprenticeship and more about the company I knew that this would be an interesting and exciting career path to follow.”
What were the highlights of the apprenticeship? What departments did you work with?
“I think one of the best parts was being able to quite literally “work” towards a qualification. I was given the opportunity to work with all departments at PG Paper, in particular, the sales and logistics teams. I offered these departments support and helped out with a variety of tasks that were beneficial to the business. I have never worked in a sales or logistics team so it was really interesting to see how these two teams connect and work together in the business. During the apprenticeship another highlight was definitely the continuous support and knowledge from all the team – I was also given lots of great advice from Poonam and Puneet that I will continue to use every day.”
How did your Apprenticeship differ from what you were expecting? What was the most challenging aspect of your training?
“I had no previous experience working within the paper and packaging industry so I was going in with very little knowledge of how to work in a sales, marketing or logistics team. Thankfully, I had lots of help and training along the way which allowed me to expand my skillset and knowledge. One of the most challenging, but interesting things I had to learn was all about incoterms which are important when buying/selling goods. This is something I hadn’t even heard of before starting at PG!”
Congratulations on successfully completing your Apprenticeship.
What now? What work will you be doing moving forward?
“I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to continue my journey at PG Paper and select the department I would like to work in – this will be a tough decision as I have thoroughly enjoyed working in all the departments.
I am delighted that I will be able to continue working alongside my colleagues who have all contributed to the success of my apprenticeship. I also hope to inspire and pass on my knowledge to the next successful candidate for the PG Paper apprenticeship and hope their journey will be as exciting and successful as mine.”
According to the United Nations “the economic impact of COVID-19 is set to make the job market more challenging for youth. The ILO reports that in the first quarter of 2020 about 5.4% of global working hours, that is equivalent to 155 million full-time jobs, were lost relative to the fourth quarter of 2019.”
However, as a business, we look forward to continuing to develop the talent of our young people and provide new opportunities to gain valuable skills in the world of work. You can read more about our current graduate and apprentice vacancies at PG Paper here.
Across the globe events are taking place to celebrate International Youth Day including #YouthLead Innovation Festival which you can find out more about here.