This week we’ve had the pleasure of welcoming Olly to the team for his work experience placement, and it’s fair to say he’s experienced far more than making the tea (which he makes a bit too milky, to be brutally honest)!
Over the course of the week, Olly has been thrown headfirst into the wonderfully chaotic world of a busy British furniture manufacturing SME during one of our busiest periods. From managing people, projects, products and purchasing, to site visits, production planning and everything in between, he’s had a genuine behind the scenes look at what it takes to keep the wheels turning.
There wasn’t much we didn’t throw at him.
One minute he was on the shop floor plugging stadium seating destined for Newcastle United. The next, he was sitting in on and chairing production meetings, asking questions, taking notes and getting stuck into the decision-making process like he’d been here for years.
Then came purchasing.
As thousands of pounds’ worth of materials were being ordered, Olly looked at Director Nicole and, with perfect timing, declared:
“That’s your family holiday gone, that. You were going to the Bahamas… now you’re going to Blackpool!”
Without missing a beat, Nicole laughed and replied:
“Luckily, we love Blackpool!”
Safe to say, that’s probably the most honest explanation of cash flow we’ve heard in a while!
To round off the week, we couldn’t have planned a better finale. As a passionate Blackburn Rovers supporter and season ticket holder, Olly joined the team on a site visit at Ewood Park, seeing first-hand some of the work we’re delivering there. It’s not every work experience placement that finishes at your favourite football club.
What has impressed us most though is Olly himself. Olly is very bright and we’re in no doubt that his future is very bright too.
He’s listened. He’s absorbed. He’s asked thoughtful questions. More importantly, he’s rolled his sleeves up and had a go at absolutely everything we’ve put in front of him. Whether it was on the factory floor, in the office or out on site, his enthusiasm has never wavered.
Work experience is about much more than watching from the side lines. We believe it’s about giving young people a real insight into the opportunities and challenges of modern British manufacturing, showing them that every furniture product has a story, every order matters and every person plays a vital role.
We’re incredibly proud to have shared that journey with Olly this week, and if his attitude, curiosity and willingness to get involved are anything to go by, we have no doubt he’ll go on to achieve great things.
Olly said:
“It’s been a completely different week to the average school week with time flying by and also doing things I would probably never thought I would do but I have enjoyed every minute of it. I would like to thank everyone at Evertaut for making me welcome. They are a great set of people (who are really picky with brews) and they are all willing to help when needed”