Hand-picked student joins ASDA

Nils Hornbach

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It was a win-win for ASDA/Wincanton and university graduate Nils Hornbach when he was selected to join them at their distribution centre on Kingsway Business Park.

Nils, a PhD student at Lancaster University, joined the business in Rochdale after Lancaster University approached Rochdale Borough Council about the possibility of arranging a work placement in the logistics and distribution centre.

Carol Hopkins, Business and Investment Manager at Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), said: “The Council and RDA have had a good working relationship with the university for some years now and have placed several post-graduate students at businesses across the borough.

“It’s great for the businesses who get high-calibre, enthusiastic people joining them who may become future employees, and of course it gives the students a fantastic insight into the world of work and business opportunities here in Rochdale.”

Nils joined ASDA/Wincanton at their world-leading distribution centre on the business park for three months and was involved in analysing the performance of the pick operation in the distribution centre.

“Nils was a great addition to the team,” says Lesley Hall, HR Manager at the site. “We gave him a specific project to identify the drivers of low pick rates on warehouse and individual grid levels.

“We tasked him with identifying the reasons and suggesting possible solutions, all of which he did. The rate at which we get products through the site and ready for distribution is absolutely critical to our success and being able to have someone come in who was new to the industry and take a look at our operation with a fresh pair of eyes has proved really useful. It was a pleasure having him on site and he has really helped us raise the bar. I’d definitely be interested in arranging further work placements in the future.”

Carol added: “The government is placing increasing emphasis on the importance of young people leaving school or university with relevant skills and experience to help their progression into the labour market. Business leaders are crying out for appropriately skilled people and we are committed to helping our businesses get the people they need to continue to thrive here in Rochdale.”

Earlier this year the first ever Rochdale Skills event was held for Year 9 pupils from schools across the borough. They were given the opportunity to get hands-on with everything from vehicle repairs to cooking and to chat to business leaders about the opportunities for careers that exist here in Rochdale. Following the success of the first event, a second skills day is to be held on 12 March 2014 at Heywood Distribution Park. If you are a business or school that would like to get involved, please contact Janet Marshall of inspiredspaces on 01706 751166.