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Great management training drives success

18/04/2018

Quality training not only helps talented people get even better at their job, it also helps them advance within the company. For the last year, Ayla Larsen, was a Trainee Manager at BP Connect in Otaki.


Then, just a few months ago, she took another step up in her career by gaining the New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) – Level 4 qualification, offered by BP to 24 upcoming professional managers in 2017.

The on-job programme created by ServiceIQ took her nine months to complete and included twelve assignments. She, and one other BP employee, came top of the class for excellence quality work.

And as a direct result of her achievement, she received a significant promotion and is now the assistant manager of BP’s busy station on State Highway 1.

Ayla, who is just 25 years-old, is absolutely delighted to progress her career through on-job training.

“I’m happy! I’m stoked!” she says.

It’s also a fantastic achievement when you consider that she successfully balanced on-job training with her day-to-day role managing a team, and a busy home life as mother of two young children. Fortunately, the ServiceIQ programme is designed with that kind of flexibility in mind.

When BP offered her the opportunity to upskill in management, Ayla admits she was apprehensive.

“To be honest, I didn’t feel confident I would succeed. But once I received the great feedback for the first module from the ServiceIQ assessor, I felt elated and it helped give me confidence to complete the last three modules.”

As part of the programme, Ayla flew to Auckland every six weeks for two days study with training specialists Artisan Consulting, then returned to work at BP Connect Otaki with the task of completing three assignments before her next trip north.

The New Zealand Certificate in Business (First Line Management) – Level 4 is popular with retail, hospitality and tourism businesses, who usually complete it in the workplace.

It’s designed specifically for team leaders or supervisors who are ready to go to the next level and master professional management skills including: team leadership, effective communications, performance management, change management, business planning, problem-solving, workplace principles, legal compliance and more.

Ayla is convinced about the value of the programme.

“I still use the people management skills every day at work. I think that anyone who is managing people in a business should complete this programme,” she says.

Ayla Larson circle “It teaches you that everyone is different, learns differently and reacts differently. You become confident in communicating effectively with all kinds of people and in different situations.”

It also gave her inspiring insights into the big picture of business.

“I was very interested to see how large businesses operate and plan at the top. I studied some of New Zealand’s biggest companies such as Fonterra, and it really opened my eyes.”

Ayla is achieving a lot for her age and in a relatively short amount of time.

She left school aged 15 as a young mother. At 20 years-old she landed her first job working the night shift at Levin BP Connect. After two years, she was offered a full-time contract that eventually included managing the station’s Wild Bean Café.

Her managers could certainly spot talent: Ayla went on to win the Barista of the Year title at BP’s national Retail Excellence Awards in 2016.

Every day thousands of drivers pull into BP Connect Otaki for exceptional service. But what is it that really drives Ayla?

“I love learning, achieving goals and targets, and setting myself challenges. The training has given me the tools and skills and the little steps to get where I want to go when the opportunity arises.”

Ultimately, her goal is to be a BP Connect station manager and then make her way up to become a compliance manager for the famous brand.

With the right attitude, talent and training, she’s already well on the road.


For more information, please contact ServiceIQ on 0800 863 693 or email intel@ServiceIQ.org.nz