Graduates
Get your career moving
What is a Graduate Programme?
A Graduate Programme is a programme in which a recent graduate from university joins a company in a trainee role which usually rotates through different departments of the organisation. This allows the graduate to gain exposure to multiple sides of the business as they build their skills with the potential to eventually settle into a full-time specialist role.
Here at Linde, our Graduate Programme is called a Commercial Traineeship and is open to graduates of all disciplines.
The Linde Commercial Traineeship
The Linde Commercial Trainee Programme runs for three years with the opportunity to complete multiple rotations throughout the business.
These rotations can last between six and 12 months each and could be in areas such as Sales, Service, Purchasing, Marketing, Finance and more. Therefore, an applicant must be mobile, flexible and have the ability to adapt to an ever-changing work environment. In any rotation, analytical and IT skills will be vital.
Whilst experience and exposure will vary depending on role and location, exposure through a diversity of roles provides our Commercial Trainees with the opportunity to really get to know our business and find where their strengths lie.
Working with the Commercial Trainee Manager and Department Manager, a Commercial Trainee’s rotations have flexibility and can be tailored towards trainees’ individual skills and needs.
Ishti Hussain - Commercial Trainee
Ishti joined Linde in September 2020 as a Commercial Trainee. In the time since then, he has rotated around three different departments and has gained knowledge and skills he didn’t have previously.
Click the video to hear more about Ishti’s role as a Commercial Trainee.
Transcript of Ishti’s video:
Introduction
Hi, my name’s Ishti Hussain. I am a Commercial Trainee in Region South. I joined Linde in September 2020, so I’ve been here for a year and a half.
What’s been good about your time so far?
What been good about my time at Linde so far? First would be the team. I joined into a lovely team who have helped me since day one. They’ve never made me feel alone. They’ve shown me where everything is, how to do things and have really helped me to settle in well.
What excites you about your role?
What excites me about my role as a Commercial Trainee is the different projects that I get to get involved with and get my teeth into. There’s always a variety of different projects with different departments and this allows me to try a variety of new and different things.
Commercial Trainee Programme
So far, I’ve been in three different departments. I spent the first four months in Short Term Rentals and then I spent a year in Sales and then I’ve spent four months doing General Management and Finance. This has allowed me to be under four different directors and allowed me to build skills and knowledge in presenting, spreadsheet and data analysis, networking, public speaking in front of teams as well. So, all these different projects have allowed me to build upon different skills and knowledge that I previously didn’t have.
Mentorship at Linde
So, the great thing about the Commercial Traineeship is you get to have a monthly mentoring session with a senior director from another region. This allows someone to be there for you, to be a soundboard, so you can provide your opinions or any thoughts you may have in your day-to-day role. You get a different perspective [from someone] who’s not part of your team and they can provide some insight and help as well.
Why should others join the Commercial Trainee Programme?
People should join the Commercial Trainee Programme because Linde is very high on seeing people grow, improving their strengths and adding to their skills. Linde really want to see you succeed; I’ve felt that since day one being at Linde.
On top of that, I think people should join the Commercial Traineeship because you’re always around a solid and supportive team. You’re not made to feel alone. You’re not made to feel stupid for asking “silly” questions. You always have a good support network around you.
Liam Pietrasik - VNA Project Support Manager
Liam joined Linde in 2019 as a Commercial Trainee. After working in a variety of departments, he has now settled into a full-time role as a VNA Project Manager.
Click the video to hear more about Liam’s experience going through the Commercial Trainee Programme.
Transcript of Liam’s video:
Introduction
I’m Liam Pietrasik. I joined Linde in 2019 as a Commercial Apprentice and now I’m a VNA Project Support Manager.
What’s been good about your time with Linde so far?
My time at Linde has been great. It’s set me up with great foundations for an exciting career ahead. I started off as a Commercial Apprentice and that’s given me opportunities to work in a variety of different departments and hone my skills in each of those departments, now finding full time employment in the project management and installations area.
What excites you about your new role?
What excites me about the new role is that I get to visit customers around the UK, work with different people on a daily basis and see a plan go from the initial stages on paper to a fully functioning solution.
Commercial Trainee Programme
So, I started off doing quite a few different roles and then moved over to the Linde Logistics Solutions area of the business. I felt as though it was a good fit for me. I enjoyed what I was doing on a daily basis and did well enough that the managers and my line manager wanted to keep me on. So, it was an easy process for me, but it was a process that allowed me to try out a variety of different roles, gain skills in different roles and then eventually find a full-time role that satisfied me and was one that I was good at.
Why do you think other people should join Linde?
I think other people should join the company: A) because it treats its employees well, B) because you’re working with one of the biggest companies in the market; you’re working with market-leading technology and products and C) no day is the same. You are working with customers, different people day-to-day.
David Picton – Commercial Trainee
Q What year did you leave the Commercial Trainee programme for your new role?
A January 2022
Q What is your role now?
A KION (Frankfurt)– Mitarbeiter PMO Office
Q What attracted you to the programme?
A I was attracted by the opportunity to work in a large international company, where I can grow my skills across a wide range of business areas.
Q What was your onboarding experience / first months with the company like?
A My first weeks at Linde MH UK were intense. Our group of commercial trainees met at the HQ in Basingstoke for a 2-week crash course on Linde MH, Logistics and Product training to give us a good grounding in all things Linde. I quickly realised that I had a lot to learn, but that my previous studies would help to guide me through. After my return from the HQ, I was thrown in at the deep end, and given 2 projects to get my teeth into. I began my career at Linde East planning my first Trade show stand and working with senior management to update the customer experience areas. I was given the autonomy and trust to complete the projects, whilst provided the training and support to guide me through my first projects.
Q What has your experience been like on the programme?
A As a commercial trainee at Linde, my rotations have been mainly project based, in the Sales and Marketing area. When I joined Linde, I had just finished my studies and was looking for a role where I could apply my degree to business. Although my degree in European Studies was very broad and at first did not apply clearly to Linde as a business, I chose to start in a Sales and Marketing rotation as this suited some experience I had, editing a university magazine.
As I developed at Linde, I was given the opportunity to take on the LindeShop Ecommerce Project. The project involved reviewing the ecommerce offering which developed into leading the project for the UK as one of the tester countries alongside Austria. The project allowed me to work alongside many colleagues from different countries and business areas whilst putting my own stamp on the project. During my final rotation as a data analyst for Sales Steering, I managed our large account information, creating reports, updating information, and improving our customer database.
Overall, the commercial apprenticeship has been a fantastic opportunity and I have now joined KION with a great background in many business areas.
Q What rotations have you done?
A East - Marketing, Events and Sales (Main Business Areas: Sales, Marketing):
Planned and managed local events and sales spaces to increase local customer awareness of Linde in Region East, UK.
HQ - LindeShop Project (Main Business Areas: Aftersales, Sales and Ecommerce):
Planned, implemented, and launched UK Ecommerce Project, working with multiple international stakeholders to meet requirements for the UK market and to grow Linde’s ecommerce offering.
HQ - Sales Steering Analyst (Main Business Areas: Sales, Market Intelligence):
Developed large account large account datasets and dashboards for Sales team and senior management.
Q How has it contributed to your new role?
A My experiences working across such a wide variety of business areas has given me the grounding I need to move to my new role at Kion Frankfurt. In my new role with the Business Transformation office at Kion AG, the daily tasks are very diverse and need a proactive approach to problem solve. The autonomy I was given during my role as a commercial apprentice grew my ability to think on my feet and manage projects around the business. Furthermore, the commercial apprenticeship allowed me to expand my network around the business. During my rotations, I have had the opportunity to work with many different teams around the business. This has given me key touch points, around Linde who can help to support me in my new role.
Q What skills have you have learned?
A - PowerBI
- Digital Marketing Apprenticeship
- Event Management
- Presenting to Management
- Project Management
Q What things have you enjoyed?
A Autonomy and trust and responsibilities given.
Freedom to be creative and ask questions.
Working with international stakeholders on large projects.
Problem solving.
Working with people who care deeply about the work they do.
Q Why should others join the company?
A People should join Linde to get the experience from an international company who invest deeply in their apprenticeship programs. In my past three years at Linde, I have gained a vast knowledge of real-world business areas, was given my own projects to challenge myself whilst developing my skills and worked with so many people who care deeply about the work they do. Linde are market leaders in the UK for two reasons, the people, and the product.
Joshua Jones – Commercial Trainee
Q What year of the programme are you in?
A I’m in my first year of this programme.
Q What is your role now?
A I’ve been with the company for about two months now and I’m currently on first rotation with the sales team.
Q What attracted you to the programme?
A Linde is a well-known and respectable company. I’ve known about Linde for a long time as I used to work for a competitor and have always heard good things about working here.
Q What was your onboarding experience / first months with the company like?
A My first month with company was amazing I was made to feel welcome and part of the team from day one.
Q Why should others join the company?
A The company is a great company where you will feel part of the team from day one with great benefits and a competitive salary it’s great not just for people who are just starting out in the material handling industry but experienced people who have been in the industry for a long time and you will feel part of the team from day one.
How long is the programme?
Up to three years
What will I gain?
Exposure to a variety of different departments, work processes, training and skills.
There is also the opportunity to do further specialist education, such as qualifications in The Chartered Institue of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Chartered Institue of Management Accountants (CIMA) and The Chartered Institue of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS).
What support will I have available to me?
You will have the support of the Commercial Trainee Manager and your department Line Manager
What could be my working day?
This will vary from role to role and region to region. When you begin a new rotation, your initial days will be filled with training and meetings with your line manager / team to help you to settle into your role
What progression is available to me?
Through the Commercial Trainee Role, various progression routes are available. From full-time specialist roles within Linde Material Handling, or even roles in our parent company, KION, where you could even relocate to another country!
