Fantastic news as Abbie Neville, Procurement Graduate at Evri, has been nominated by her employer for the National Apprentice of the Year awards! Abbie studies on the level 4 Commercial Procurement and Supply Chain apprenticeship at The Apprentice Academy. We can’t wait to hear if she will win!
Abbie has been put forward for the 2024 National Apprenticeship and Skills Awards, which you can learn more about here – NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP AND SKILLS AWARDS 2024
Abbie’s Background
Before joining Evri on their graduate programme, and embarking on her apprenticeship, Abbie originally studied Business Management at the University of Nottingham:
‘I went to the University of Nottingham and did my undergraduate degree in Business Management and went on to complete my Masters Degree, also at the University of Nottingham, in Supply Chain and Operations Management achieving a Distinction.’
Following the completion of her masters, procurement is exactly what she would go onto do.
‘I applied for the Evri Graduate Programme because throughout my masters I did a module on Procurement & Purchasing and felt that through a negotiation exercise we were graded on, this is something I’d potentially like to go into. I also did my dissertation on Adoption of E-Procurement Systems, implementation and challenges to gain more insight into the industry.’
Abbie’s Current Role
Now working for Evri as a Procurement Graduate, Abbie has the benefit of experiencing many areas of the business.
‘A day in the life of the Procurement Graduate is super varied! My scheme is structured into 4 rotations around the different areas of Procurement so I get an insight into all business areas. My job/role is to support the Procurement managers and internal stakeholders through purchasing different services, negotiating extended payment terms, and implementing contracts with suppliers to ensure compliance, control, and value for money across supplier agreements.
I love the contact I have with all areas of the business. I also love working with a fantastic team, the teamwork and support from the procurement function is incredible and it’s a fantastic environment to work in and a brilliant graduate scheme, not just because of all the external responsibility, but also internal exposure to higher individuals in the business to learn from and support with.’
Abbie’s Procurement Apprenticeship
Alongside her role, Abbie has been studying towards the level 4 Commercial Procurement and Supply Chain apprenticeship at The Apprentice Academy. This course is designed for employees who work within a procurement and supply chain function, who want to develop their knowledge and skills, and become CIPS qualified.
‘Alongside my graduate scheme I have been fortunate enough to undertake the CIPS level 4 qualification to support integrating my entry level Procurement knowledge with the theory and practical application of learning content. My job/role is to support the Procurement managers and internal stakeholders through purchasing different services, negotiating extended payment terms, and implementing contracts with suppliers to ensure compliance, control, and value for money across supplier agreements. The way the graduate scheme has been tailored to fit alongside the CIPS apprenticeship has been incredible, making sure I systematically make my way through the Procurement process with the modules and I’m able to apply the learning to my job efficiently. This includes all elements mentioned above.’
Abbie’s Coach and CIPS Exam Results
Abbie is an absolute star!
Abbie’s coach at The Apprentice Academy is Alison King. Like all our Procurement tutors, Ali is Chartered MCIPS qualified. She had the following to say about Abbie:
‘Abbie is an absolute star – she completes all her work on time or early, and it is of an excellent standard. We have also worked on some personal development skills in our sessions which have supported her growth in confidence and self-belief. Abbie has been an absolute joy to coach, and I believe she can achieve an overall distinction in her EPA – her project has just been sent to SkillsFirst, so watch this space!’
Ali’s kind words are backed up by Abbie’s strong CIPS exam results:
- L4M1 – 75
- L4M2 – 92
- L4M3 – 90
- L4M4 – 82
- L4M5 – 93
- L4M6 – 92
- L4M7 – 87
- L4M8 – 62
Which takes her average pass mark to 84.1%! For context, (at the time of writing) the current international average pass mark is 72%!
Many congratulations to Abbie. Our fingers are crossed for a win!
Learn more about our procurement apprenticeships here.