Our colleague Jack Cowles got a part-time Christmas job at Asda when he was 16 to save money for a trip to Borneo. He loved it so much he returned and now, two years later, he’s one of our youngest section leaders.
Jack manages a team of 30 at our Patchway store in Bristol and hopes to be a store manager one day.
He said: "Right from the start Asda have been very supportive. They offered me the part-time job even with the stipulation that I needed three weeks off for the Borneo trip.
"I took part in various fundraising events and colleagues were great – lots of them sponsored me and supported me.
"When I got home, I came straight back to Asda, and carried on part-time through my second year of sixth form.
"Towards the end of sixth form, I started working more hours, and started to care about the business more than ever.
"After I finished my A-levels, I was given full-time hours and told my manager Andy Maggs I was interested in progressing up the career ladder with Asda.
"He assured me that if I kept going the way I had, I would progress, and around four months ago I became ambient section leader.
"I love my job! At the start, I thought it may be tough as I’ve only been here for two years, and some of the colleagues have been here all their working lives. But everyone has been fantastic and given me nothing but respect since I’ve stepped up."
He said: "We have such a great team here. Coming into work is fun – it doesn’t seem like a job most of the time.
"The best part of the job is being able to help customers every day and put smiles on their faces."
A photo of Jack appeared on our Patchway store's Facebook page – prompting lots of friends, relatives, colleagues and customers to congratulate him on his progress and wish him all the best for his future career.
Andy Maggs, who's the store's grocery manager, said: "When Jack joined us he was only 16, but it was clear he was hard-working, mature and already had leadership qualities.
"He's constantly improving as a colleague, in fact you see him improving week by week. His leadership qualities really are outstanding and his customer service is phenomenal.
"He's very popular with customers and colleagues. All of the grocery team sponsored him when he was raising money for his trip, and lots of other colleagues across the store supported him too."
