At our Depot here in Torquay we have an Opperations Manager and an Assistant Opperations Manager. Their job is the ensure the smooth day to day running of the depot, a slightly harder job than simply driving a bus.The assistant has been with us for some years and the OM for a couple of years. It seems that they are to shortly move to Exeter, which is a bigger depot and I am sure they will make their mark there. We at Torquay are to get a new OM who is part of the Stagecoach Graduate Scheme, which recruits graduates and puts them through an intensive training course to equip them for the rigures of Depot Managment and for further promotion within the company.
To have a look at a brief profile of our new OM
Sorry, couldn't get the link to work so I have copied it here for you to look at.
CHRISTINA: ASSISTANT OPERATIONS MANAGER, WALKERGATE, NEWCASTLE
Christina Ratcliffe
Degree: BA (hons) – History; University of Leicester
Joined Stagecoach: 2005
Current position: Assistant Operations Manager, Walkergate, Newcastle
“I looked at a number of Graduate schemes, but Stagecoach stood out for me.
I wanted to join a programme that had a clear career path and that offered
choices across a wide range of roles; Stagecoach offered this level of variety
coupled with the certainty of well thought through support structures. It also
offered a role that wasn’t desk-bound around a 9 to 5 office job.
My first year in South Wales certainly didn't disappoint. I'd speak to friends who
work for other graduate employers and they'd be amazed at how much I’d
done so soon.
Whilst working for a multi-national company, I feel like part of a big family. All
the graduates meet up regularly on courses (and socially) and we network with
senior managers and directors as early exposure to high-level business
planning and strategy.
What I love is the buzz and energy around the business, I couldn't begin to tell
you what an average day is like, no day is “average” and you're never bored.
Responsibility comes early on, and you have a safety net of managers around
you. This enables you to move forward with confidence knowing that mistakes
will be picked up before they cause a problem and that you will be able to learn
from them. And, of course, you have the support and advice of your mentor.
I'm now Assistant Operations Manager at a large depot in Newcastle - I've
gone from managing 170 drivers in South Wales to managing almost 300 here.
It's a big step up in responsibility, but after the intensity of the first year I'm fully
prepared for the challenges involved. And, because I enjoy what I do so much,
the days just go in a flash."
I am sure we all wish her well in her new position
8 comments:
How can somebody who has never driven a bus manage a bus depot?
I'm not sure, come back in 3 months and I will let you know if it is possible.
My mate mentioned that one of the first things they put u through on the Steggie grad scheme is the PCV. Apparently NatEx don't think it's very important, in contrast. Dunno about other companies though. Let us know how ur one fares down there David!
part of running a bus company is to be brought up through the ranks ie how to interact with passengers & peers. your main provider of services,are the DRIVERS, who have professional licences to drive up to 90 people from A-B safely & make up to a 100 different safety decisions per day! surely not sitting behind a desk for 2 years can this give them the knowledge on how to run a bus depot! does this person actually have a licence to drive a bus or just one to push a pen!!!
Newcastle is a very successful area for Stagecoach, always getting brand new buses and good publicity.
At least you can know she must of prooved herself there and can only be a good thing.
Being an assistant OM already, im sure she will know what she is doing.
What makes anonymous think she's never driven a bus?
Stagecoach Graduate Trainees will not only have taken the PCV test...they'll have driven the bus, stripped the engine down, (more importantly reassembling it!), learned how it was timetabled, scheduled and how to turn a profit doing so...
I'd say she's obviously made her mark at a couple of large depots and probably knows far more about the job than anonymous ever will....
Two things make a good manager, an instinct for the job and training in how to do the job. If our new operations manager has both these requirements then I am sure she will do a good job. However I think drivers would feel more reassured if a manager has driven a bus then we know that they have been in our position and know the problems we face in our day to day jobs. This isn't an essential requirement however.
coming from Newcastle I would have said AM at Walker and M at Paignton were likely to be equal in terms of issues per day to deal with
she might notice a difference in timings? with the relative lengths of routes / size of areas, although she's worked in Wales
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