Elle Cook, Export Documentation Clerk at Normal Global Logistics, has taken on more and more responsibility in her role since completing her Logistics Apprenticeship with St Helens Chamber Business School.
After completing her qualifications with St Helens Chamber, Elle’s role developed from administration to being responsible for some of the company’s largest customer accounts.
Elle explained: “I have so much responsibility now, I started off mainly data inputting, shadowing my colleagues when I first started and answering the phones seeing how the emails worked but now I have my own customers, when my colleagues are on holiday I take leadership and take on our biggest customers too.”
Elle’s role is varied, and her training and experience have helped her to confidently take on more responsibility and thrive in the fast paced logistics industry.
Elle continued: “I am responsible for documentation, so I take care of all the documentation for the shipments. Once the container has been loaded, the job is then passed to our documentation team and we take over ensuring that everything is a smooth run from the cargo sailing, right through to delivery of the goods at destination.”
“I complete all the shipping instructions and send them on to the shipping lines. I also declare the shipping containers through customs, I complete all customs entries, including the value of the cargo, the correct commodity code for the goods and the true weight. I then check and amend draft bills, send the bills to the customers and wait for approval.”
“Logistics is a very past paced industry; you have to be able to think proactively and work quickly but most importantly, accurately. Things don’t always run according to plan and things can go wrong, it’s just important to be able to know how to rectify problems when they occur.”
“I have experience other types of shipments too, if a container is going to Greece or Spain the documentation is carried out differently, and a different type of documentation needed, so I need to follow a different process – I have accumulated a wealth of experience in all sides of shipping and exports.”
St Helens Chamber Business School have a wide range of qualifications available for anyone looking to build on their skills or upskill their employees. We can help employers to access any funding available, or use your Apprenticeship Levy to upskill your workforce and help your staff get their qualifications up to date.
Elle’s Apprenticeship training has helped her to develop her skills further and given her nationally recognised qualifications – and has helped her take on more responsibility in the workplace.
Elle explained: “My training adviser Hilary has been amazing, she has been so supportive and always goes the extra mile. If ever I’m stuck and need any guidance nothing is ever too much.”
“I’d recommend anyone to consider an Apprenticeship, you don’t understand the benefits of it before you look into it. You can get experience, qualifications and earn at the same time – you can complete your qualifications and put what you’ve learned into practice.”
If you’d like to find out more about Apprenticeships for employees, call our Workforce Development team on 01744 742333 or email workforce@sthelenschamber.com
