Sainsbury’s is seen as a major blue-chip company, finance underpins everything they do. When an employee joins the finance department of Sainsbury’s they will be involved in key projects and making a difference, right from the start. Sainsbury’s believe that they can deliver their promises to their customers and shareholders by building teams of first-class financial talent and acumen. The training here involves obtaining a CIMA qualification, an employee trying to achieve this will be training in a highly supportive environment. They will also have the opportunity to train with other parts of the group and CIMA partners who are part a dynamic finance team at Sainsbury’s.
The finance graduate development programme lasts approximately three years. The programme provides a sound base that ensures a trainee’s professional and career development progress rapidly. A trainee will be studying for a CIMA qualification, at the same time they will also be receiving pay rises to accompany their achievement. They will also receive behavioural and cross-functional training, which could prove very beneficial for trainees. The behavioural training covers a number of off-the -job training activities, these are scheduled throughout the trainees’ functional scheme.
These activities are designed to support the development of the trainee’s personnel capabilities and maximise the trainee’s personal effectiveness. Sainsbury’s cross-functional is a series of technical training and activities that also take place throughout the functional scheme. The aim of the cross-functional training is to equip the trainee with the knowledge and skills that are needed to operate successfully within Sainsbury’s. To join this programme a person will need a 2:1 degree, although this does not have to be numerate discipline. They will also need to be good with numbers and have personal qualities such as being disciplined and organised, a result-oriented individual with integrity and the tenacity to achieve. The highest performing graduates in this programme can volunteer to join Sainsbury’s Corporate Leadership Programme.
Sainsbury’s is known for the quality of their products, but they know that not even the best products can sell themselves. Sainsbury’s is at the forefront in developing new products, innovative concepts and fresh initiatives, therefore Sainsbury’s marketing team have its work cut out. Marketing at Sainsbury’s encompasses everything from brand development to market planning and customer marketing as well as Sainsbury’s formats and online divisions. The successful trainee will experience placements across Sainsbury’s business, they will be able to run their own projects and they can do a CIM qualification if they already do not have one.
The trainee will need energy, confidence and a determination to get a great idea noticed. Sainsbury’s will provide the trainee with the opportunity to gain a CIM qualification. They will be set up with a mentor, this mentor will help them to get the most out of their training and provide them with advise on what they should do next. Every graduate that joins the scheme will get personal attention whilst they are developing a solid ground in the key areas of Sainsbury’s large marketing department. These key areas are planning and performance, brand marketing, customer marketing, formats and online. The Marketing Graduate Development Programme lasts one year. To do this programme a person will need a good degree in any subject.
At Sainsbury’s buying directly has an impact on them, through increased profits, market share and customer satisfaction. In Sainsbury’s Trading Division, teams of individuals work cross-functionally with other colleagues. Also with many suppliers, but they do this with one objective, which is to deliver the best possible high-quality products. The trainee will develop their negotiation skills, influence, IT and awareness. To do this the trainee must have a lot of confidence, a collaborative attitude, and a real knack for analysing facts and figures with a view to adding value to Sainsbury’s. At Sainsbury’s they will have the opportunity to be involved in the buying process in many different products. Working in the buying section is exciting, stimulating and constantly changing.
The Buying Graduate Development Programme lasts for 12 months and a person will need a good degree in any subject to do this programme. The programmes prepares the trainee for Sainsbury’s own ‘Certificate of Trading’ qualification and their first major role within Sainsbury’s. After the induction, the trainee will be assigned to a small buying area where they will work alongside a team of professionals who will support the trainee to develop their knowledge in a real life situation.
The trainee’s technical knowledge will be developed on the job, but it will also be underpinned by training courses in key areas such as finance, negotiation skills and trading law. They will also be placed on placements in operational areas of Sainsbury’s such as Retail and Supply Chain, this will develop the trainee’s skills further and encourage them to work cross-functionally and to develop a strong network of contacts. To be successful in this area the trainee must have a passion for food retailing. They should be a strong communicator, with very good analytical and organisational skills, they will have to be confident and able to work efficiently with others.
Sainsbury’s is organisation that has an advanced supply chain plan. They have focused their thinking and they have improved their existing network hugely. The Supply Chain area involves forecasting and the logistics of operations ordering and distribution and development. When the trainee is working in Central Operations, they will learn the importance of product management, industry forecasting, ordering and the management if goods through the network.
In Sainsbury’s development area the trainee will be able to work on some projects and discover the system which are the best and how they are applied to see real results across the Sainsbury’s stores. The trainee will also be taught how to balance costs and services, and improve accuracy and availability without compromising Sainsbury’s offer. The trainee will have to look at the distribution area of the network at Sainsbury’s, looking at what makes Sainsbury’s national network tick, looking at how goods go from A to B and how to optimise delivery times.
The Supply Chain Graduate Development Programme lasts for 18 months and to do this programme a person will need a good degree in any subject. After the 18 months programme, the trainee will have the opportunity to progress to many positions including a Supply Chain Forecasting Analyst, a Depot Supervisor or a Team Leader. After another 18 months they could be gaining a promotion plus plenty of ongoing development and support.
Sainsbury’s Quality and Innovation Group (QUIG) are behind every new product launched by Sainsbury’s. From Conceptualiser to Project Management to Delivery, Sainsbury’s Product Development and Technology ensure that they are delivering the innovation and the quality their customers expect, also that their suppliers are as compromising as they are. To work in this area a person will need creativity, confidence and commitment. The Quality and Innovation Graduate Development Programme lasts for 12 months, and to join the programme a person will need a good degree in a food related subject or life science degree.
The scheme offer a focused on-the-job training and technical courses and the trainee can choose between two areas. One of them is Product Development, this develops ideas for new products and works closely with suppliers and our own teams, for this the trainee will need a food-related degree such as Food Technology or Food Science. Or the trainee can focus on the Technology side, this is committed mostly to quality issues, for this the trainee will need a Life Science or Food Technology, Chemistry or Materials Science degree. The trainee will also need some experience of working in food retail or manufacturing.
Sainsbury’s mission is to have talented people on their team. Sainsbury’s offer Human Resources experience across the full spectrum of generalist and specialist Human Resources. Working in this area would mean that the trainee could work at Sainsbury’s business centre or in a store or distribution centre ensuring that the Human Resources underpins the business strategy. The trainee will follow a structured programme, where the emphasis will be on delivering Sainsbury’s business strategy through people, translating Sainsbury’s maxim Faster, Simpler and Together into top level Human Resources performance. This will include overseeing change in management initiatives, people management processes and personnel performance standards. Through this programme a trainee will be able to develop their technical and wider business skills.
The Human Resources Graduate Development Programme lasts for approximately two years, offering a number of placements, across generalist and specialist training within various divisions within Sainsbury’s. After 18 months the trainee can self-select for a six-month placement in an area based on their experience over the past year and a half. At the end of the first year of the programme the trainee will be given the opportunity to study for the CIPD. To do this programme the trainee will need a good degree in any subject, they should have the ability to relate to and get on with the widest range of people, coupled with the confidence to make the trainee’s case to senior managers and deal with day-to-day issues that face a busy Human Resources team.
For Sainsbury’s to succeed in today’s competitive market they need a carefully tailored approach to their customers whatever their profile of needs, expectations and objectives. The product range, price, service and even the ambience of the Sainsbury’s stores has to be spot on for the shoppers using each store. All Sainsbury’s customer’s are looking for is quality, customer service and choice they associate with the Sainsbury’s name. The aim is to make it look easy and that’s the job of Formats. Formats will help deliver exactly what Sainsbury’s customers have come to expect in the Sainsbury’s suburban stores, the Sainsbury’s Central and the Sainsbury’s Local, because of Sainsbury’s proactive approach to meeting the demands of changing lifestyles more rapidly than ever.
Sainsbury’s will put a trainee forward for a CIM qualification if they do not already have one. The Formats Graduate Development Programme lasts for 12 months, and the trainee will need a good degree in any subject to join the programme. Some of Sainsbury’s smallest stores have a turnover of �8 million and the larger stores have a turnover of �80 million. If a person wants to achieve early responsibility and rapid career development then they can join Sainsbury’s. Sainsbury’s are making large investments as part of a long-term strategy. They are expanding their main stores and improving Sainsbury’s Locals. They are providing retail careers on a different scale.
Sainsbury’s have a structured hands-on management programme that can put a trainee on a very fast track to management positions. The trainee will be in a management role from the moment they start the programme, they will have the opportunity to become a duty manager in three years and a store manager after five. The trainee will gain experience in different areas of the business (explained previously), the trainee must also show that they can be put forward for a postgraduate qualification in retail management at the end of the second year of the programme.
The Retail Graduate Development Programme lasts about three years. For this programme a good degree in any subject is needed, together with a real passion for retail. The trainee will need to be resilient, and have the ability to balance issues (such as sales, labour costs and stock loss) with customer service. They should also have vital people skills to motivate and get results, and a positive approach to new challenges.
Working in Sainsbury’s Pharmacy, the successful trainee will be providing an invaluable healthcare service to the community. The job involves dispensing prescriptions, and giving advice to people from their child’s earache to contraindications of specific medicines. For a job in this area the trainee will need to have the relevant pharmacy skills and be a real people person, meaning being professional, creditable and approachable constantly. Working as a pharmacist at Sainsbury’s will mean that a trainee will have the opportunity to develop the management side of things. This could range from running the administration of the department to dealing with the staff matters such as appraisals, training and development.
To join the programme the trainee must complete Sainsbury’s pre-registration training scheme. The Sainsbury’s scheme provides the training, knowledge and experience to successfully complete the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) pre-registration requirements. This scheme includes one-to-one tuition, in-store mentoring and personalised backing from our Central Pharmacy Training Department. The Sainsbury’s Pharmacy Pre-registration training scheme lasts for one year. To apply for this scheme the trainee must be studying for a Pharmacy Degree.
