Roy, Jingfang and Daniel are some of our current trainees participating in our trainee programme. At the moment they are all participating in the the store internship phase of the programme. For Clas Ohlson it doesn't matter where you work within the organisation, as you will always be part of the team.
Jingfang Chen, Roy Johansson & Daniel Thyberg
Age: Jingfang: 24. Roy: 25. Daniel: 26. Training: Jingfang: Civil Engineering in Information Technology with focus on Chinese and a Master's in Industrial Finance. KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 2014. Roy: Civil Engineering in Information Technology with focus on Transportation and a Master's in Industrial Finance. Linköping University, 2014. Daniel: Bachelor's in Logistics, Linköping University, 2014.
”A unified team striving for the same goal”
Roy Johansson, Jingfang Chen and Daniel Thyberg all started their trainee programme in September and their first week was spent at our Main Offices in Insjön. This week focused on corporate culture, leadership, sustainability and most importantly, Clas Ohlson customers.
The trainees are now in participating in a six-month store internship phase of the programme in order to learn about business operations from the ground up, before then returning to Insjön to participate in other projects.
How well do things work between you?
Roy: – Even though we all work in different stores, we all keep in regular contact. Partly because we need to coordinate our schedules for the four seminars we must participate in but also to share our experiences. It feels good to be able to use others as a sounding board, especially when they are going through the same experience. We learned to get know each other during the first week and everything seemed to click right off.
Daniel: – We also work well with the previous trainees as well. They are very open-minded and friendly bunch and are there when we need them. No one tries to get ahead at the cost of others here.
Have you seen this spirit of cooperation in practice throughout the company?
Daniel: – All staff stick together in the stores and it is easy to be quickly accepted. In the Borlänge store where I work, all work is divided up and is based on teamwork, where everyone realises that things work best when everyone works together towards the same goal.
Jingfang: – You notice this at the Main Office as well. Everyone is on equal speaking terms with one another. No one ever thinks about what position the other person has before talking to them. There is no hierarchy, simply. The entire organisation seems to work as a unified team.
What has been the high point of your trainee period so far?
Roy: – Our induction week was probably the best. I immediately felt welcome and part of the company even from the beginning.
Jingfang: – It's easy to go to the store every morning because there is always something fun happening. All the staff are positive and that rubs off onto the customers. It's really refreshing to see.
Daniel: – Working in a store makes me realise that what I am learning there will be invaluable to me later. For instance, making theoretical decisions and plans is great but you also need to know if can be carried out in real life and that's what this experience has given me.
ABOUT CLAS OHLSON
Trainee programme: As a trainee at Clas Ohlson you will be employed in a specific role within the organisation. The programme’s structure is based upon our core business – our stores – but is complemented with diverse projects within our various fields of operation. If your project involves international relations, the possibility for you to work abroad for a period also exists. Your training will also be interspersed with themed seminars within Purchasing, Warehousing, Finance, Sales, Retail Expansion, HR, IT and other areas. Throughout the programme you will be guided by a mentor, whose experience and contact network will help you immeasurably to grow into an exciting future position within the organisation.
Text: Josefin Svenberg. Photo by: Clas Ohlson.