New World Aokautere owner/operator Claire Blair with Kenzie Finlayson, the recipient of the supermarket's first graduate programme.
New World Aokautere owner/operator Claire Blair with Kenzie Finlayson, the recipient of the supermarket's first graduate programme.
New World Aokautere has introduced a graduate programme.
Owner/operators Claire and Aaron Blair kicked off their own journeys in the business industry through graduate programmes.
“Our motivation for starting a graduate programme at New World is that it’s a perfect way to bring fresh energy into the business and showgrads what grocery is all about,” Claire says.
“We believe supermarkets provide an awesome learning environment with endless leadership opportunities, and it’s the perfect chance for students to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Plus, it’s also a way to give back and help young people get ahead.”
The graduate programme gives candidates a broad education of the overall business and functions on a rotating six-month cycle, which teaches them to learn quickly while having the opportunity to ask questions on the job.
“Once the candidate has learnt about 80 per cent of the role, they move to the next area of the business, and after doing this about four times, they get to build awesome relationships across the business and get incredible breadth,” Blair says.
“Learning from the ground up puts graduates in a position to be great managers, capable of making good decisions.”
The Palmerston North supermarket has welcomed recent graduate Kenzie Finlayson, providing her with an opportunity to transition from academic life to the professional world.
She already has solid experience from working at the supermarket while studying, which allows her to move up the ladder and dive straight into a management position.
For her first rotation, Finlayson steps into the hot seat as a deli manager, where she’ll get to manage all aspects of the department, from finance and range optimisation to human resources.
“I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity and [to be] continuing my journey at the store with the graduate programme,” Finlayson says.
“The team members at New World Aokautere have been amazing at helping me transition into the programme, and I’m looking forward to the variety of roles I’ll get to come across.”
The Blairs are seeking expressions of interest from 2023 graduates. To find out more, visit the supermarket and ask for Claire or Aaron.
