Arriva is a very large organisation with too many names to possibly remember. Like most transport businesses, most employees are male, although I see this as an exciting challenge and I am now part of Arriva's bid to create a more diverse company.

"People who work here seem to be genuinely interested in the industry"

I find everyone very helpful. People are usually proud to show you what they do and will provide you with answers to your questions. Arriva has a range of operations across Europe while still remaining a local business, with local management teams responsible for services for our customers. Every effort is made to provide the best service possible for customers.

"They take the time to allow you to understand"

One of the things I have noticed is that Arriva has a very strong culture. It feels like everyone I work with knows the history of Arriva and is proud of its roots. There is a wide range of people that have gone out of the way to make themselves available and they've been immensely helpful in providing me with an all round view of policies and procedures.

"You need to be able to show that you aren't afraid to get your hands dirty now and again"

One of the biggest challenges during my training was learning to drive a bus and taking my PCV driver's licence test. I was delighted that I passed first time. Gaining my PCV licence certainly helped me to gain respect from the drivers and colleagues.

"Being involved in a project from start to finish gives you an amazing amount of knowledge"

As part of my training programme I was asked to work on the introduction of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) across our UK businesses. Working with a fellow graduate I gained a real understanding of the variances in operating procedures and identified areas of best practice to bring back to my own business. It also gave me an excellent opportunity to make key contacts across the UK.

After presenting a report to senior management, I joined a working group tasked with putting the report into practice. This allowed me to see the project develop from research stage right through to implementation.

Finally, working so closely on the detail of the Driver CPC has meant I'm now regarded as a bit of an internal expert in the subject! It means that other managers can contact me to find out more about it.

"Hands-on with responsibilities"

In the final section of the training programme I was appointed to a real hands-on role as Deputy Depot Manager for the Southern Area in Arriva North East. This gave me the opportunity to put my training into practice while still having support from those around me.

It was a challenging role, but looking back it was essential to my development. My confidence increased as I started to find that the training I'd been undertaking was directly relevant to the job and to doing the job well. It was also a good time to identify any gaps in training and complete them before finishing the scheme.

When I completed the training programme I applied for the permanent role and was successful. Nine months later I was promoted to Depot Manager in one of our largest depots.

Undertaking the CPC National gave me greater depth to my knowledge and allowed me to gain a better insight into the engineering function of a transport operator. As it is a recognised qualification, it proved to other managers and drivers that I understood what the business was really about.