Kingfisher : Screwfix’s Level 3 Assistant Store Manager programme

19 Feb 2020

People

Lucy Naylor, 26, is an Assistant Manager at Screwfix. Lucy has worked at Screwfix stores in Essex for almost nine years, first at the Basildon and Rayleigh stores, and now the Brentwood branch, a short commute from her home in Wickford. Lucy went on to be promoted from Supervisor to Assistant Manager after graduating from Screwfix's Level 3 Assistant Store Manager programme with a distinction.

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My day-to day role involves managing the store and my team and training them in new skills. No two days are the same, which is why I love it.

I always tell people that I live and breathe Screwfix, which I know sounds funny, but it's true. My colleagues are like another family.

An apprenticeship wasn't something I had seriously considered, until I got an opportunity to test myself - when our Assistant Manager (at the time acting as Branch Manager) went on maternity leave. I was Supervisor at the time, and I stepped up to the plate to help my Assistant Managers and take on additional responsibility.

Once the new Branch Manager joined, he encouraged me to take on the apprenticeship course as a way to continue progressing. Even then I didn't think I was ready for the Assistant Manager course, but he believed in me and put me forward.

The course is hard work - 11 months of in-depth study, not tick-box stuff but delving deeper into the topics and taking on lots of information - but it is definitely worth it.

One of the big things the qualification taught me is different management styles. Every team is unique, so it taught me better ways to manage my team by adjusting my style to them. I sometimes struggled with having hard conversations with colleagues before, and the course taught me a variety of ways to approach tough situations.

Overall, I think it's made me a stronger person. I'm more confident and no longer feel held back by lack of skills, and it has enabled me to progress to Assistant Manager.

I know a lot of people either on the apprenticeship scheme at the moment, or thinking about joining it, might be worrying about the workload. All I can say is stick with it. Break it down into sections and treat it as lots of little challenges rather than one big one.

There were people on the course alongside me who considered quitting but are so glad they stuck with it. It's not just a qualification - you learn a lot and gain really valuable skills.