Chris Walker is undertaking a chartered manager degree apprenticeship at Travis Perkins and The Open University
Travis Perkins is a large distributor of building materials to the building, construction and home improvement markets. The company is over 200-years-old and has over 20 business in the group and more than 2,000 branches, stores and sites around the UK.
Chris works in the Travis Perkins pricing team within the commercial department, delivering change programmes to increase consistency across the business for the benefit of customers.
Chris said: “I chose to do the chartered manager degree apprenticeship mainly because of the relevance to my role and where I want to develop within the business. Ideally, I want to continue my management journey, working up within a senior leadership role. The degree apprenticeship really ticks those boxes. Personally, I was exploring the management options anyway but the option to take that one step further with the apprenticeship with Travis Perkins was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Over the last nine months I’ve gained a strong grasp of the fundamentals of business management. The real positive for me is that not only am I learning about theories behind management styles, but the content actually works, and I’ve been able to see myself evolve.”
“Working with The Open University through the degree apprenticeship has been really simple. The Open University has been really supportive. The material is easy to understand, the tutors have been excellent to work with, and they’ve understood and appreciated my circumstances.”
“I’d absolutely recommend The Open University to others. It is a way to further yourself, carry on your learning and develop yourself as a person.”
Visit www.open.ac.uk/business/apprenticeships to find out more about apprenticeship training at The Open University
