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Graduate case studies

Graduate case studies
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Gerard - 
Warehouse manager

Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

About the job

Main responsibilities

Keeping track of all goods in and out of one of our warehouses. Making Health + Safety assessments for all of our new installs. Organising movement of goods including shipping to other countries.

Typical day

As above. Moving goods into / out of, and also within a warehouse. Tracking it in an accounting system. Making documents (RAMS- mostly in Word). Booking shipments of goods around the UK or to other countries.

What do I enjoy about my job?

I feel like a valued member of the company, and they are quite successful.

Challenging aspects

The amount of different disciplines required, and prioritising my time (I've always more work to do than time to do it).

Why did this area of work appeal to me?

I knew someone who worked in the company who mentioned they needed someone to organise logistics (scheduling engineers and moving kit around). I am happy to work on a computer.

Skills/qualifications I use in my job?

The only official qualification is fork lift driver certificate. I have many other applicable skill-sets, some of which have been learned or improved whilst doing the job.


Career information

Brief history since leaving University

From university I started working at Ladbrokes, with a plan to do part time volunteering which would help me get into a university I preferred for a PGCE (I did get in to some universities to take the PGCE, but opted out for practical reasons). I worked hard for Ladbrokes for eight years, but did no volunteering. I attained in-house qualifications and skills but nothing outside of work. From there I moved straight in to my current job.

Where do I see myself in the future?

No plans for further qualifications currently, although in the back of my mind I still feel my vocation is teaching music, whether in a school, or private instrumental tuition.


Advice to students

My piece of advice to students

Music is a vital part of humanity. Studying it opens the mind in ways that few other disciplines can match.

Other comments

I look back fondly on my time at Sheffield, and still actively practice music (regularly play piano and spend a lot of free time discovering or discussing music). My mentality that you SHOULD work in an area which you are most passionate about still exists, but is a less dominant factor on my life.


Last updated: 03 Dec 2018