Member Article

Rising star Olivia wins Kinaxia's apprentice of the year award

A trainee recruitment adviser who is playing a key part in helping Kinaxia Logistics to fill dozens of HGV driver vacancies has been crowned the group’s apprentice of the year.

Rising star Olivia O’Neill, aged 20, from Warrington, joined Kinaxia last May on an 18-month apprenticeship programme.

Her line manager Simone Williams, Kinaxia’s group recruitment manager, said Olivia has proved to be an ‘outstanding’ addition to the team.

In the past six months, Kinaxia has taken on nearly 100 additional drivers and Olivia has managed a large part of the recruitment process, from writing job advertisements to sifting through applications and working with HR managers across the group’s sites to arrange interviews.

She has also come up with a several suggestions to enhance the group’s recruitment process, including a new system for tracking applications.

Olivia is one of 13 apprentices currently employed by Kinaxia. The group has vacancies for seven more apprentices in areas including customer care, supply chain and warehousing operations, business administration and vehicle servicing and maintenance.

Simone said: “Olivia is a huge asset to our recruitment team and is making outstanding progress.

“Sometimes I have to remind myself she is an apprentice, as she has adjusted to the job so quickly and constantly goes out of her way to meet deadlines.

“She is a bright, enthusiastic individual whose time management skills are impeccable, and she often stays on to make sure work is completed. Nothing is ever too much. She is always keen to learn more and is never afraid to try new tasks.

“She completes all her coursework and studies on time, and the feedback from her tutor is always great.”

Olivia said she was delighted but surprised to win the award.

“I didn’t know anything about the logistics industry before I joined Kinaxia and it was all a bit daunting at first, but the job has given me a massive confidence boost and I’m really proud and honoured to be named as the apprentice of the year,” she said.

“I feel that I have worked really hard and it’s nice to be recognised in this way.”

Kinaxia chief executive Simon Hobbs presented Olivia with her trophy, a framed certificate and an Amazon voucher.

He said: “Over the past three years, we have recruited 30 apprentices across the group.

“We work with key providers to ensure they gain hands-on experience supported by a designated mentor and an internal training programme, leading to the appropriate, recognised qualifications.

“Many of our apprentices have gone on to secure permanent positions and earn promotion. We are committed to giving young, enthusiastic individuals the opportunity to build careers in the transport industry and it’s fundamental to our philosophy of developing our own talent for the future.

“We love to celebrate their success with us, and Olivia is a worthy winner of the 2022 apprentice of the year award.”

Kinaxia employs more than 1,600 staff across its businesses and has a fleet of more than 800 vehicles which transport goods for supermarkets and other retailers as well as the leisure, food and drink and manufacturing sectors.

Headquartered in Macclesfield, Cheshire, Kinaxia offers contract packing, e-fulfilment, returns management and storage services from its nationwide warehouse facilities.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kinaxia Logistics .