STEM Teacher Placement 2009 -10 St. Mary’s High School @ Crossgar Foodservice

1. STEM Teacher Placement 2009 -10 St. Mary’s High School @ Crossgar Foodservice

2. Work Placement Background Crossgar Foodservice is one of the leading foodservice suppliers in of Ireland, providing the foodservice market with a "one stop shop". The product range includes poultry, meat, chilled, frozen, grocery and non food items, offering our customers access to over 10,000 products built around a core of locally produced products. Unique to the foodservice market as they own and control the sourcing of their poultry, meat and sauce products.

3. Crossgar Foodservice comprises of 3 key businesses Crossgar Poultry Established in 1959 by Gerald Bell, Crossgar Poultry is one of the leading poultry suppliers in the Foodservice market. The factory in Crossgar is accredited to the British Retail Consortium Standard (BRC). This is a nationally recognised accreditation used by all major suppliers and ensures that the HACCP, quality management, factory environment standards and production process controls are adhered to.

4. Crossgar Meats Crossgar Meats has been established for over 25 years. Crossgar Meats launched the unique Dexter Beef range in January 2009.  Dexter Cattle are a Traditional Irish Breed and their existence was first recorded in Ireland in 1776.  Dexter Cattle by nature don't lend themselves to large scale commercial beef operations.  They are traditionally grown in small herds across Ireland and therefore are difficult to source.  In order to ensure a consistent supply for our customers we have signed an exclusive deal with The Dexter Society in Ireland.

5. Crossgar Foodservice Crossgar Foodservice is the sole All Ireland Distributor for 3663 - the UK's leading foodservice company. With sales over £1.2 billion a year 3663 delivers quality ingredients, finished products and equipment to the catering industry in the UK. This exclusive agreement gives Crossgar Foodservice access to an additional 10,000 chilled, frozen, grocery and non food products. With many of Ireland's leading restaurants, hospitals, schools, and hotel groups among their customers, Crossgar Foodservice are set to continue being a 'one stop shop' for the Irish catering industry.

6. Management Structure Mr Gerald Bell Chairman Mr David Bell Sales Director Mr Paul Bell Poultry Director Managing Director Mr Micheal Morrisey Foodservice Director (Seaforde) Mr Steve Millership Trade & Marketing Manager (Downpatrick) Mr Terry Casement Group Financial Controller (Crossgar) Mr Conor Bell Meats Director (Downpatrick) Mr Conleth Mc Carthy Sales Manager (Downpatrick)

7. Employment Opportunities Currently 241 Staff Administration Staff Accounts Assistants Purchase Ledgers Receptionists Accountants Sales Representatives Human Resource Officers Tele Sales Personnel Operations Manager Warehouse Staff Departmental Managers Credit Control Market researchers Sales & Marketing Co-Ordinator Sales & Marketing Co-Ordinator Factory Floor staff

8. Working Environment • General impressions from staff and students before placement • Smelly • Working with raw meat • Boring • Tiring work • Impressions from experience after placement • No smell! Clean and very busy environment • Health & safety of utmost importance. Access to factory was not allowed • Wide variety of jobs available within the one company • More flexibility within the working day – no bells • Thriving work force

9. Regional Sales Team TSPC Reps place the order themselves or their customer does so through the reps telesales team. Sales Reps set up various meetings with their current customers and with new business owners Reps are now responsible to collect money owed, and may refer bad debt to their credit control agent to chase. Financial Controller explains the details of performance of the sales team to the Directors once a month. Sales Reps ‘Buddy’ System Sales Reps set up various meetings with businesses Sales Rep Liaise with Sales support team/ Sales manager Sales Projections are sent to reps twice a week therefore if they are not hitting their targets they have time to rectify this. ‘Circle of Trust meetings’ A meeting takes place within the Catering/Food industry between the Financial Controllers. B ad debtors are identified. Buddy Sales Rep reports to Financial controller (once a month to review their performance) Everything is shared and explained. ‘Sales Surgery’ Targets are set and areas for improvements explained, between the Financial Controller and the Sales Rep, based on the calculations made. Bonuses are awarded as incentives Under performers a will be issued with warnings

10. Maths & Employability “Why do I need to know this?” “What will I ever used this for?”

11. Types of employment within Crossgar Foodservice

12. Financial Controller • A hands on role and you'll head up the day to day financial activities for your company, including; financial strategy, analysis of the books, reporting back to management on the state of the company's finances, cash flow, producing accounts, setting and checking targets, monitoring the performance of each department, auditing and overseeing all tax and regulatory/compliance issues. • Skills Required • Good attention of business as well as financial issues • Sound decision making • An ability to work to deadlines • An ability to use Microsoft EXCEL, and other ICT software packages • General Mental Maths used on a daily basis – sound ability to • calculate percentages.

13. Financial Controller – Daily Problem Solving Skills • Constantly looking for new products. • Products which haven’t sold well are delisted. • 18% cheaper to put fuel into lorries in the South. All routes are • planned so that lorries will stop at a Southern Service Station. • Lorries never travel with half loads. Any lorries going to England, or • further, may be hired by other companies, so that maximum use is • made of them. • Mobile phone tariffs are constantly checked for best deal. • Pricing ‘by each’ or per kg on meat or chicken products is done to • maximise profit. E.g. Anything on the bone is priced per kg. • Time wasted on small transactions – a minimum order put into place. • E.g. out of 22,000 transactions in a month, 4853 were under £25.

14. Administration Jobs • Purchase Ledger Administrator • A purchase ledger is a system in accountancy by which a business records and monitors its creditors. • Organisational skills • Attention to detail • Computer literate • A Spreadsheet is prepared for the • Board of Directors to make • decisions. E.g.. Electricity bills etc. • Ability to deal with units of • measure • Deal with volume of stock ordered • and estimate costs • Receptionist • Excellent Telephone manner • Be able to deal with queries • Organisational skills • Computer literate • Work under pressure

15. Accounting Assistant/ Executive Skills required • Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel and Outlook. Organizational, verbal and written communication skills a must. • 2. Attention to detail and ability to multi • task is an asset. • 3. Required typing speed. • 4. Verbal and written communication skills. • 5. Attention to detail, if an error occurs a short investigation must take place. Since accounts are reconciled at the end of each month it is usually easy to find discrepancies. 6. Confidentiality. 7. Time management. 8. Interpersonal skills. 9. Customer-service 10. Initiative. 11. Reliability. 12. Stress tolerance.

16. Credit control • Credit Control Manager • Skills • Good Team management skills • Sound decision Making • Confidence • Good attention to detail • The ability to work under • pressure and meet deadlines • Good financial skills • Excellent written and verbal • communication skills • Confidentiality • Credit Control Cashier • Skills • Ability to work as part of a • team • Excellent Numeracy skills • Reports to Transport manager • (i.e. if Lorry drivers amounts are • over/under/exact) • Good attention to detail • The ability to work under • pressure and meet deadlines

17. Stock Controller/ Warehouse personnel • Stock Controller • Processing purchase orders. • • Receiving Deliveries. • • Reconciling Delivery notes with • purchase orders. • • Recording serial numbers where • applicable. • • Organising stock buying per piece • or per kg • • Place stock in designated areas for • ongoing projects/special offers • • Monthly stock take and • reconciliation of stock. • Skills • Estimations based on trends • over last 5 weeks. Seasons • also taken into account. • Assess Max/Min stock levels • 2 weeks stock usually in place • Stock sometimes split • between a few suppliers to • ensure delivery • Currency conversion • Negotiation skills to get best • deal

18. Sales and Marketing Team • Sales and Marketing Coordinator • Responsible for the Brochures • produced • Website and ecommerce site • Pricing guides for Sales reps • Advertisements • Photography • Newsletters • Exhibitions • Trade and Marketing Manager • Responsible for; • the advertisements which • fund the brochure they • produce. • The last brochure cost • £12,000 and have a shelf life • of one year • Pricing new products • Negotiating new deals with • suppliers

19. Telesales Telesales Department • Telesales Manager • Dealing with irate customers • Monitors the calls coming in • and going out • How many are abandoned? • Average waiting time? • Organises motivational • incentives, usually selling • some slow moving stock • Rah Rah Day! • Telessales departmental jobs • Inbound caller/ Outbound caller • Good telephone manner (longer • you talk the more chance of • making that sale) • Works in a very busy and • stressful environment • Have excellent keyboard skills • Be able to read info from Excel • and navigate through screens • Do a quick conversion in head • Euro/sterling

20. Maths & Employability • Interview Questions for a Telesales post or • stockroom post • Have you had any Telephone Sales Experience, or telephone training? • What do you expect to gain from this post? • What hours are you available to work, do you have access to a car? • How could you demonstrate the ability to sell? • How would you handle an irate customer? • What are your strengths and weaknesses you have? • How many grams per kg? • How many ounces per lb? • How many is one dozen?

21. Summary Summary • Diversity of jobs I knew existed but didn’t know what was involved • I was part of the ‘Real world’ • Teamwork working at a larger level • Percentages are hugely important in business, other links made • with certain parts of the curriculum • The ability to use Microsoft Excel is an important asset • Incentives and motivation so important • Target setting part of day to day routine • Communication skills are extremely important • Links made with Crossgar Foodservices • Tours available to schools/ jobs available for sixth formers