What is your current role?
I work within the Quality, Environment, Health & Safety department at Coca-Cola European Partners, as a Business Administration Apprentice. I applied for this position whilst completing my BTEC in Business. As part of my role, I extract and analyse data from different reports and create quality checks for manufacturing lines. Throughout the pandemic, I have been working from home where I focused on an induction project for new starters across Great Britain.

How has the pandemic affected your work?
Adjusting to working from home and developing a project I had no prior experience in was professionally challenging. I was unable to continue my customary job due to its practical nature. However, the pandemic allowed me to learn new and develop existing skills in Microsoft Excel. These new Excel skills allow me to complete data analysis for the quality side of my role.

How did your BTEC qualification help prepare you for this current situation?
Completing my BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma in Business has allowed me to learn so many different skills, obtain a broad range of knowledge and help me to become the person I am today. Various units on my BTEC qualification contained project management elements, this skill has been useful when completing projects at work. I have also been able to implement my understanding of marketing, learnt on my BTEC course, to my current role. BTEC provided me with transferable skills such as improved communications skills, the ability to meet assignment deadlines and work effectively under pressure.

We want to celebrate the impact that key workers are having. What positives do you think have come out of this situation?
Although the pandemic has been very concerning, people have come together and united in thanking key workers, who have kept us all safe and well during the pandemic. Coca-Cola European Partners have been supportive to all of their employees, putting safety and wellbeing first. Alongside this, we have been supporting communities, distributing drinks to local hospitals during the pandemic. This put a smile on the faces of front-line staff and made me proud to work for a great company.

With thanks to North Kent College and Samah