Our people

From apprentice to manager in 12 months

For Bea Balster, everything is moving quickly at DHL Supply Chain in Steinfurt. The 23-year-old was not only the first top apprentice at DHL Supply Chain, but she is also the first in her branch to make the direct jump from apprentice to manager. Since November, she is the youngest member of the so-called "Promotion Group Logistics 1."

This program prepares employees in all sections of DHL Supply Chain for a position as team leader."Our warehouse supervisor mentioned the program to me. I then wrote an application and was accepted," Balster says. The promotion group lasts one year. It consists of monthly seminars that explore such subjects as presentation and employee supervision. After completing the program, the participants will work as team leaders. "In the past, promotions were given to some people who had the job expertise but who could not lead a team," says Branch Head Witte. For this reason, the Group also set up the promotion group program in 2007. Sixteen other DHL employees are being trained with Bea Balster to become team leaders. The oldest is almost twice her age.

Between seminars, the students have to put together presentations. The branch has given Balster a small laptop for this purpose. This computer sits on her desk right next to the large monitor that she uses as a dispatcher to plan the daily routes of IT logistics. Does she have a problem speaking before much more experienced colleagues? "In the beginning, sure," says the 23-year-old. By now, the group has become good friends. "We often phone one another outside of work."

Bea Balster has taken steps to ensure that things do not come to a halt after the program ends. In the fall, she will begin a part-time college program in business administration. As a result, her Saturdays would be booked. Do hobbies have to be pushed aside? "I have been playing volleyball for 14 years. There is always time for it," she says. Her boyfriend also works in logistics. They know all about planning, she adds.

"GrOW with Us"

This is the slogan of the graduate program GrOW at Deutsche Post DHL. The opportunity to grow with one of the world's largest corporations was then the driving force behind my decision to apply for the international graduate program.

Even during the selection process, I was pleasantly surprised by the international spectrum of the applicants. This impression grew stronger during the professionally managed assessment center. As a result, I got to know Deutsche Post DHL as an exceptionally international and modern company.

Before I started my first project, I had a chance to visit various logistics centers and take a look at the operational side of the company. Following another training week in project management that I completed with other graduate colleagues, I got a chance to begin my first project in Supply Chain Home Delivery. Here, my team and I worked on a standard IT solution for our customers' logistics.

I already see the benefits of the GrOW Program:

• An experienced mentor is available to answer work-related questions as well as those about my future in the Group.
• My buddy, a graduate from one of the past programs, helps me with organization matters.
• And I can draw on the GrOW network at any time and talk with other GrOW members.

In short: I am really looking forward to the rest of the program, particularly the integrated assignment abroad because I will have a chance to get to know other areas of the Group.

More than package shipment

You normally associate the name of DHL with package shipping. But I was able to newly discover DHL on my own.

In October 2007, I began to work at DHL Supply Chain, Sector Home Delivery, as a project assistant in the area of IT Project Management Office (PMO). In this position, I am responsible for the IT Project Management Office in the Sector Home Delivery, which provides continuous project progress monitoring or resource monitoring in all IT projects.

My jobs also include support of the IT director in budget planning and in IT controlling. This includes cost-type accounting, cost-center accounting (particularly the monitoring of various departments) as well as the preparation of monthly reports on operating costs in the form of a target-performance comparison for management. Sound dry? Not to me. I also see this as a perfect opportunity to practically apply the knowledge I acquired while majoring in business administration with a focus on controlling and taxes/accounting/auditing.

My job is a lot of fun. All sorts of interesting assignments are awaiting me, ensuring that my work does not become a routine. I also really appreciate the working atmosphere at DHL Supply Chain: Based on my personal experience, I can say that our team has a very pleasant, relaxed atmosphere. From my very first day on the job, I was accepted as a valuable colleague. I have been given – and am given – the impression that my work is respected. To me, this is one of the factors that makes the job at DHL Supply Chain, Sector Home Delivery, so appealing.

A training program with great opportunities

My apprenticeship at DHL Freight's Cologne branch started in 2006. The branch focuses exclusively on truck transportation services.From the start, I was as impressed by the multifaceted training schedule as by the way the apprentices were integrated into the work process. As a result, I was able to quickly gain in-depth insights into the respective departments. I was also encouraged to assume responsibility very early on, something I did not find easy at first. I quickly realized that working life is nothing like school. But my colleagues were always there to help me.

The job of a freight forwarding and logistics manager combines regular office work with a varied range of tasks. To succeed in this profession, one has to tackle new tasks and challenges every day. And you have to be a real team player. You won't succeed long term in this position unless you're prepared to trust others and accept advice.

Making cost-based decisions on the timing of shipments to individual customers was a task that I found particularly intriguing. My temporary assignment to DHL Global Forwarding showed me how quickly a shipment one sends off will make its way to New York, Cape Town or Melbourne. That really brought home the concept of globalization.Close dealings with customers, colleagues and agents also call for foreign-language skills. English is used every day. Anyone who enjoys speaking a foreign language will enjoy this job.

Deutsche Post DHL offers its trainees a host of opportunities for further training during and after the apprenticeship. I was lucky to be chosen for the TopAzubi program. The two-day welcome event in the Post Tower attended by Personnel Board Member Walter Scheuerle was at least as exciting as the seminars offered as part of the program. The seminars not only enhance participants' expertise and personal development, but also offer a forum for an inspiring exchange with apprentices training for different professions. This sowed the seeds of friendships spreading across Germany. The icing on the cake: Participants in the TopAzubi program are guaranteed a job at the Group after completing their apprenticeship.

All in all, I am more than happy with my choice of apprenticeship. DHL is a very fair employer that, thanks to its global presence, can offer its trainees a wealth of opportunities during and particularly after their training.