A business’s success hinges on its ability to invest wisely in its workforce and operational infrastructure. No stranger to this, Kite Packaging has embarked on a journey of strategic investments since its founding, propelling the company to its industry-leading status of Packaging Company of the Year 2023.
One such investment is Kite’s continued commitment to training and nurturing its own talent, having launched an apprenticeship and graduate scheme in its inaugural year. Both have played a pivotal part in the company’s success and have seen candidates go on to fulfil significant managerial roles, with some progressing to senior management. This, along with a unique culture of partnership and sharing wealth created with everyone involved in the business, drives Kite collectively towards success, whilst setting it distinctly apart from the competition as an employee share-owned business.
The Graduate Management Scheme offers recent graduates a distinctive opportunity to acquire hands-on-experience, leveraging their unique skills to flourish and evolve into Kite’s future leaders.
This comprehensive two-year programme encompasses four six-month placements, each in a different location, providing valuable insights into Kite’s multi-faceted operation.
During the initial placement, graduates have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the business before being exposed to wider areas, all while being supported by a dedicated managing partner throughout their journey. Candidates will find themselves immersed in general and commercial management, logistics, supply chain, purchasing procurement, and finance. They can expect to take on responsibilities like targeting and managing accounts, ensuring a holistic approach for practical on-the-job experience and meaningful contributions to Kite’s success.
A great example of this is one graduate’s involvement in the expansion of the company’s Regional Distribution network into the North-West of the UK. As part of the project, the graduate was involved in finding a warehouse for the new RDC, working closely with Kite’s Managing Director, Gavin Ashe, and North-West Managing Partner, Liz Kelly. Kite’s North-West RDC is now well established, serving industries from Cumbria down to Stoke-on-Trent, including Wrexham in North Wales, and has earned the graduate a promotion to the position of commercial manager.
In a similar vein, by hitting yet another record year thanks to the efforts and determination of Kite’s staff, the company was able to reinvest in its geographical assets. Relocating its Portsmouth and Sittingbourne RDC into larger facilities, these sites now offer 43,287 and 50,000 square feet of space respectively to service customers falling within the South Coast and South East areas of the UK.
While at Kite’s North-East and Scotland RDC in Gateshead, another graduate organised an open day on the company’s Mobile Packaging Laboratory (MPL), facilitating the expansion of this location’s customer base into Carlisle. Having demonstrated success during a placement at Kite’s HQ in Coventry, a Kite graduate has been retained at this site for an additional six months to spearhead the development and introduction of new products, contributing to the expansion of Kite’s reach, customer base, and sales.
Also encouraging progression and on-the-job learning, Kite welcomed nine new candidates onto their Management Apprenticeship programme in collaboration with Sheffield Hallam University in September 2023. The BSc (Honours) Packaging Professional degree apprenticeship integrates degree studies with over 30 hours of work per week, enabling candidates to gain valuable industry experience alongside specialised learning.
The curriculum covers Art & Design, sustainability, materials science, testing and regulations, and manufacturing and production, offering in-depth insights into the packaging industry. This unique opportunity allows students to obtain a specialised qualification without incurring student fees, all while earning a salary.
By nurturing skilled workers through this programme, it’s Graduate Management scheme, and countless training sessions for employees, Kite not only shapes its own future but also contributes to advancing the packaging industry. The award-winning company is now actively recruiting for their 2024 graduate and apprenticeship cohort, specifically looking for candidates who have recently completed their education.
To discover more about the exciting job openings currently available at Kite Packaging, please visit www.kitepackaging.co.uk/mcp/current-vacancies.
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