Having graduated university with a degree in International Studies, procurement wasn't an obvious career path. What attracted me to apply for the Graduate Programme was the focus on sustainability, particularly within the public sector setting. My degree had a heavy focus on looking at challenges and problems from an environmental angle, so this aspect of the role definitely seemed to align with my studies and my interests. Having no background in procurement, the Graduate Programme has taught me the job from the ground up and has allowed me to gain knowledge and confidence in a job role that I had no understanding of 18 months prior. The Graduate Programme contains four different placements, each allowing you to experience different ways of working within the sector. My first placement was within Estates, which is one of the core teams within APUC. This placement really built a foundational knowledge of procurement, and I was able to see different parts of the tender process to gain a more holistic view of what this looks like in practice. I was also afforded opportunities to understand contract management on this placement. My second placement was within the eSolutions team, and this gave me a greater understanding of the processes and systems that we use regularly within our job roles. The other two placements that have to be completed on the Graduate Programme are one in a University and one in a College. My final two placements were with the University of Strathclyde and West College Scotland. These placements really helped show me what it was like working day to day with various requests and changing workloads depending on projects that needed completed. Both of these placements and the knowledge I gained really helped me increase self-confidence in the role. Particularly with my final placement at West College Scotland, I felt I was given more responsibility to carry out tender exercises on my own which really helped cement everything I had learned from all the previous placements. During the length of the programme, APUC also supported me in working towards my CIPS qualification, and I have now completed Level 4 of this qualification. Overall, I have really enjoyed my time on the Graduate Programme and have been lucky to work with knowledgeable and genuine people across all of my placements who have all helped me through the various stages of this programme. Upon completion, I am now based within the West College Scotland team as a Procurement Project Manager, and I am looking forward to seeing what this role brings over the coming months.

After graduating with a History degree in 2015 I felt a bit lost and really had no idea what I wanted my career path to look like. I ended up spending five years working in different roles which all fell into a procurement/supply chain theme. When I saw the APUC Graduate Scheme advertised, I felt that I could utilise my fragmented experience in procurement and gain the knowledge and expertise to become a Procurement Manager within the Education sector. My fellow graduates and I were thrown into a somewhat different experience starting a Graduate Scheme during a global pandemic! It meant I became super savvy on Ms Teams and whilst it was a while before I got to meet anyone in real life, I felt supported throughout our working from home experience. My first placement was with Esolutions which was a great insight into how the systems work and how I could utilise them efficiently within my role. I then moved on to my 4 month college role where I worked with a group of Central Scotland colleges. This was a great way to gain an initial insight into institutional procurement as I was straight away given the responsibility of liaising with stakeholders, researching suitable frameworks and drafting extension letters. By the time I left this placement I felt that I had gained a great base level of what the work involved. I then moved on to my 6 month placement with the Estates team at APUC. I really enjoyed my time in the team and learnt so much. I was able to help work on different stages across various Framework tenders, from research and strategy right through to implementation meetings. When I started the placement I would sit in on supplier meetings to learn from my colleagues but by the time I finished I was confidently leading these meetings. Finally I finished my Graduate Scheme with a 6 month placement at the University of Edinburgh. I thoroughly enjoyed this placement and when I started I finally felt as if I sort of knew what I was doing. I worked within the Professional and Campus Services team and my colleagues were extremely supportive and made me feel like part of the team right away. I really felt like this placement got me more comfortable and confident with being a Procurement Manager and I was given big projects to manage straight away. Procurement within a big University is unlike anywhere else so there were many learning curves but I gained so much in both knowledge and ability. My favourite placements across the Graduate Scheme were both Estates with APUC and my final placement with UoE. I never thought I'd be the kind of person who actually liked their job but I now honestly do and am so glad I decided to apply for the Grad Scheme back in 2020. I definitely feel like I'm on a good career path at last and looking forward to continuing to develop and progress within Procurement.

Having graduated with a Joint Honours Degree in Business Management and History of Art, and then working as a Lead Barista in a Coffee Shop for a few years after... I really had no idea what path I was going to take! I applied for the APUC Graduate Scheme as I wanted to work for an organisation whose values were forward-thinking and aligned with my own. Although I had no prior background in Procurement, I found that through my studies and work experience in retail, you can gain so many transferable skills that aid a career in procurement. The programme gives you a varied understanding of public procurement through experience and training within four different placements. My first placement was in the IS Category in APUC's Core Team: where I started to gain an understanding of how Frameworks are created and implemented, as well as the Contract Management that is undertaken for these. After this, I began my first institutional placement at City of Glasgow College where I experienced the ever-changing workload and quick pace at institutions. This is where I started to "put the pieces together". My third placement with the eSolutions Team gave me invaluable knowledge on the processes and systems that are key within our roles. Finally, my placement at the University of Glasgow was where I really built my confidence and started to feel like "I actually can do this!" I led several projects during my 6-month placement there: engaging with stakeholders, developing ITT documentation, running supplier interviews, conducting consensus meetings, leading debrief meetings and so on. During the Graduate Scheme, the trainees also organised the Annual Away Day event which - after starting with APUC in a pandemic and working through about 3 lockdowns - was nice to finally be able to socialise with supportive colleagues who we had only met over Microsoft Teams! APUC have also supported us in working towards our CIPS Qualification which was another great benefit. Now that I have completed the Graduate Scheme, I have realised that no 2 days are the same in Procurement, and I am excited to continually learn and develop on top of the strong foundation the APUC Graduate Scheme has given me.

The APUC Traineeship has been a great opportunity to start my career as a procurement manager in the HE/FE sector, which I still enjoy today. Over the course of the 18 months of my traineeship, I have worked in all relevant settings i.e. at a college, a university and the APUC collaborative team to manage framework agreements, which has enabled me to have a comprehensive learning experience of all aspects of a procurement manager's role in the sector. I have received invaluable support and coaching / mentoring from my APUC colleagues who are always happy to help and share their experience. I have taken onboard all of these learning experiences in my various roles within APUC which are enabling me to continually grow and progress professionally.

Having studied Business Management at university, I gained an understanding of supply chain management and sustainability - with a focus on Corporate Social Responsibility. Understanding that a sustainable supply chain can impact positively on various types of stakeholders and the environment inspired me to become involved in public sector procurement. I was attracted to the idea of having the opportunity to contribute towards CSR in supply chains; with the chance to learn on the job through placements; and through working towards gaining the CIPS qualification, with 4 exams undertaken so far. I have had the opportunity to work alongside colleagues on a broad range of projects at Edinburgh Napier University and Fife College - here I gained knowledge from colleagues with varying levels of experience. My placement in eSolutions included training on various sector-wide systems such as Hunter and PCS-T, which has been particularly useful when working in institutions, and within my current role in the Estates and Facilities Collaborative team. I have also attended various formal training day arranged by APUC; and attended several conferences and networking events. I am looking forward to continuing my current placement, with the goal of securing a more permanent position within APUC/affiliates upon completion of the graduate programme.

Having graduated with a degree in Criminology I worked as a Finance Assistant at West Lothian College where I had exposure to Scottish Procurement Regulations. The APUC Supply Chain Management Traineeship provided the opportunity to utilise my experience and build a career in an area I was interested in, in an organisation with strong corporate and social values. I spent my first six months working in the APUC collaborative team for Information Services. This gave me the opportunity to contribute to the initial research phase, strategy development and creation of tender documents. The team were very supportive and encouraging. I then went on to spend a further six months in the University of Strathclyde. At the University I was given the opportunity to work on a wide range of mini competitions and open procurements and trusted to work independently on those where I felt I could. However, there were also lots of experienced members of staff to provide support whenever it was needed. My third placement was spent with the eSolutions team understanding the different tools used across the sector such as Hunter and PCS-T. The skills I learnt in this placement can be used when working in the collaborative team or an institution. I am currently about to start my final placement which will be split between New College Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire college. I am looking forward to the challenge of a split role and getting to understand how procurement works in a college environment. My current goal is to gain as much experience as possible in my final placement and continue to work towards completion of my CIPS qualification.

People always say you should find a job you enjoy, where you never get the Sunday night feeling dreading the week ahead and look forward to going to work. This is how I feel being on the Graduate traineeship at APUC. I applied for the graduate traineeship whilst completing my degree in Social and Public Policy at Glasgow University. I was fortunate enough to be successful in gaining the traineeship before I even graduated. Although my degree is not directly linked to procurement, it taught me how to engage and understand policy documents and the impact policy can have in practice. Training is split into four placements, each placement having its own specific focus within procurement. For example, working in E-Solutions involved an overview of all programmes used throughout the company and data analysis. Whereas, my current placement, at Glasgow Caledonian University, involves engaging with stakeholders and preparing tenders for the University. Training so far has been excellent and I have built on a number of skills such as; ICT, team work, organisational, time-keeping but most importantly is the ability to multi-task. In just under a year, I now have a working knowledge of procurement which means that my confidence in the workplace continues to grow. One aspect of the traineeship which is good is the continuing professional development afforded to me through working towards CIPS. Although working full-time and studying is very different from university, the knowledge you gain on a daily basis helps you with the knowledge required to sit the professional exams. Throughout the graduate programme, there are also opportunities to meet with the whole company at APUC Open Forums and Away Days. Aside from networking opportunities, this is also a good social event where you can spend time with colleagues from institutions other than those which are part of your placements. One of the things I am most proud of so far, is the Away Day event that the graduates organised, where I used skills I wasn't even aware that I had! It's a brilliant feeling when you see your planning and hard work come together, culminating in a great company event. Every line manager I have worked with has been extremely helpful and set targets for me during my time with them. They have been supportive in a number of areas and encouraging at all times whilst I am trying to find my feet in the workplace. Even though I had no previous knowledge about procurement, I have found it be an exciting and ever evolving career path where no two days are the same. APUC continue to guide me through this programme with support and knowledge at all stages of my development.

Having been interested in Supply Chains and Procurement as an area to apply my Environmental Management and Sustainable Development background onto, I find the time as a Supply Chain Management Trainee at APUC a perfect way to learn the procurement basics while getting involved in making the sector's supply chain more sustainable. The change of tasks and settings by going through different placements within APUC and institutions make the learning process a challenging yet rewarding one.

Over the last 10 years working at APUC, I have progressed my career in different roles within the Institutional Procurement Services (IPS) team. This team provides Universities and Colleges across Scotland with an in-house procurement service tailored to their needs. In my case, I worked for the University of the Highlands and Islands, Edinburgh Napier University and Queen Margaret University - each time moving for the opportunity of promotion. My varied experience has led me to my current role as Chief Procurement Officer for the Edinburgh Regional Procurement Team which covers Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College. In this role, I lead an 8-member procurement team with a collective portfolio of £60 million annual procurement spend. Our team has a broad remit - managing high value procurement projects, training and guiding stakeholders on small projects, engaging suppliers and stakeholders on the environmental and social aspects of responsible procurement and enhancing our e-procurement systems. APUC offers great training and development opportunities to all staff - both formal training courses and informal opportunities to have a mentor, shadow colleagues in a different part of the business and participate in HE/FE sector wide networks. The training and development is a key reason why I have stayed at APUC for a decade. APUC prioritises the development and promotion of staff from within the organisation which means that there are ample opportunities for those who want to progress.

Having developed a core interest in commerce, business development and supply chain management upon graduation, procurement has the perfect career path for me. The APUC Supply Chain Management Development Programme has provided me with an extensive amount of knowledge and development opportunities in procurement to prepare me to work in the sector. My time in the programme has been challenging, yet very rewarding in terms of my professional development as I have gained a thorough understanding of procurement at both an institution and consortium level. I have greatly enjoyed my time working with APUC and the HE and FE institutions and I have gained invaluable experience to prepare me for a career as a Procurement Manager.

What first attracted me to apply for the trainee programme was the opportunity to utilise my knowledge in sustainability to make a positive impact within the public sector whilst gaining a CIPS qualification. The APUC trainee programme helped me gain knowledge and experience in public procurement through attending training courses, networking events and by working alongside experienced colleagues across various departments within APUC and in higher and further education institutions. APUC is an exceptional employer, offering many opportunities to network, develop and advance in your career. Since completing the programme in 2016, I have been primarily worked for Forth Valley College, progressing from an operational role to an advance position. My current responsibilities are varied, managing procurement projects, contracts and suppliers of all values and categories and engaging with internal stakeholders at the most senior level of the organisation.