Michael Marsh enthusiastically recommends the Team Leader Apprenticeship. The 34-year-old was recently promoted to logistics manager with SSO Logistics in Haydock. The firm offers palletised distribution, warehousing and freight forwarding. 

Career Path

Michael started at SSO Logistics six years ago. He began as a driver and then progressed to a traffic planner. Since starting his apprenticeship with TRS just over 12 months ago, Michael has had two promotions. First, he became a senior planning supervisor, and now he is a logistics manager.  

Michael disliked maths at school, but despite that, he wasn’t nervous when the time came to sit his level 2 exam this year.  Because he could not attend all the scheduled online lessons, TRS maths tutor Sadie gave him one-to-one support when he needed it. Michael qualified at the first attempt. He explains the impact this result has had on his working life:

“Some aspects of maths I just never really grasped. The confidence I’ve gained through my apprenticeship means I find certain aspects of my job much easier now. For example, dealing with challenging freight, known as ‘ugly loads’, I am much more efficient at using numbers to break things down. Oversized freight is always a challenge, but now I can apply the maths to the weights and dimensions to get it to its destination safely.” 

Operational Expertise

The apprenticeship also boosted Michael’s operational expertise. He asks more objective questions and has become increasingly influential in managing his team of four. He credits this to matrix assessments he completed during his time with TRS, which identified his management style. Following this, he developed the skills and confidence to manage conflict and has learned to delegate.

He adds:

“I’ve learnt to develop my style of leadership. We’re shifting freight using 25 vehicles; it follows that more self-awareness and confidence makes me a better manager.”

Family Time

Michael plays darts at home; his new maths skills make him quicker at totalling the scores. And perhaps more poignantly, he shared how, as his seven-year-old son progresses through school, Dad will be able to help him more with maths than he previously thought possible.

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