Upon completing the Ryman Healthcare Graduate Programme Andy Reid is feeling fully equipped to be a well-rounded and skilled Rymanian as he continues to grow in his permanent role as a Health, Safety and Wellbeing Advisor.
Throughout his two years in the programme, Andy has learnt about a variety of areas and significantly grown his skill set.
Andy applied for the first Graduate Programme cohort in 2020, and he says the application and induction process was great.
“They responded really promptly and kept me in the loop throughout. I was really impressed by their communication compared to other companies. Ryman made it really clear what the next step was and what I needed to do and when I would hear back from them, and they kept to those deadlines…
“The induction process was quite unique and organised around Ryman’s values and meant you got an embodiment of what the values meant in a fun and interactive way.”
From there he worked his way through three engaging rotations within different teams at Ryman.
Andy started off as a Marketing Assistant in 2021, and then moved into the Unit Contracts team in August of that year, before starting his final rotation as a Health, Safety and Wellbeing Advisor, where he has now taken on a permanent role.
“All the rotations were very different and a great learning experience,” Andy says.
“What I found really enjoyable about the programme was at each level the responsibility increased as the roles changed, so I started off in quite a junior role and then as I have progressed I’ve had more responsibility, I started off as an assistant and now I’m in an advisory role, it’s cool to see the embodiment of the programme actually working that you are fast-tracked into a position of responsibility.”
Like many students nearing the end of their studies, Andy was looking for an opportunity where he could put his study into practice.
When Andy chatted to the Ryman team at the UC Careers Fair and discovered the exciting opportunity to rotate through different areas and enjoyed the ‘better range of lollies’ on offer, the healthcare company quickly became one of his top contenders.
“Ryman’s programme was also the most appealing because I could see different ways where I could utilise all areas of my study, which was hugely appealing.
“I’ve been very lucky to be able to apply at least each one of those different areas (of my study) in my rotations, and that’s a credit to the grad programme for being able to line that up for me.”
As he rotated through each part of the programme, Andy completed a tailored education package that involved opportunities such as the Ken Blanchard self-leadership program and the in-house quality improvement project. He also highly valued the guidance he received,
“We were given a designated mentor and you'd have regular catchups with them, and they would impart advice. They tended to be someone in a more senior position not within your team, I could pick their brain for different ideas and get that support, as well as connecting with the other grads on the programme”
Now that Andy’s completed the Ryman Graduate Programme, he is looking to the future with high hopes in his newly appointed role.
“I have been promoted as a Health, Safety and Wellbeing Advisor, so continuing to learn, and develop in that space, and looking to support the next cohort of graduates to succeed. I’m really passionate about the well-being space and want to see all of our employees thrive at home and at work!”
As he aims to continue his support of the next cohort of graduates, he’s got some advice for the next group of grads coming through:
“You need to approach it with a growth mindset because you may not necessarily end up in an area that you thought you would have but approaching it with an open mind and looking to acquire as many transferable skills from that as possible, ...and just soak it all up because it’s all extremely valuable and helps you grow as a person, an employee, and as a Rymanian.”