How the Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement Prepares You for a Supply Chain Career
Did you know that supply chain roles are among the top in-demand positions globally? It comes as no surprise since they’re the backbone of international commerce. The size of the supply chain management market is projected to grow at a rate of 11.1% from 2023 to 2033.
For you, this means opportunities for a solid career in supply chain and procurement. Still, many graduates struggle to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and hands-on experience: that’s where you might benefit from a graduate programme.
Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement is designed as a launchpad for aspiring supply chain experts. Read on to find out more about this programme.
Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement: An overview
Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement sets itself apart as a dynamic pathway into contracting and procurement where you can enjoy the flexibility of rotational assignments while working closely with your mentors.
Through the two 18-month rotations, you’ll contribute to innovative strategies to help us stay competitive in a global market and work on energy solutions of today and tomorrow.
Your responsibilities might include working with suppliers and managers, analysing business intelligence, developing cost models, and helping us implement more efficient procurement strategies. As you rotate your duties, you’ll keep learning and gaining experience in areas like contract management, supplier relationship management, and more.
Why apply to the Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement
Learning and development
First and foremost, the Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement is all about structured learning and development to help you accelerate your journey from a fresh graduate to a seasoned professional.
A good programme should teach you beyond what you might have learned at the university. While there will still be formal training, there’s a lot more hands-on experience and mentorship.
Career growth opportunities
Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement offers a faster track to leadership and other senior roles.
You’ll be exposed to the various aspects of the supply chain from the get-go, from strategic planning to execution, which will help you identify your strengths in different areas and identify those that align with your career goals.
This is a faster path to choose over a traditional entry-level position where you’re locked to certain duties, vastly limiting your exposure to other relevant aspects of the industry.
Networking and mentorship
A massive benefit of procurement graduate programmes over formal education is the way they connect you with industry experts throughout the curriculum. Instead of studying textbooks or other resources on your own for a final exam, you get to observe and even assist experienced managers as they show you the ropes.
This can also unlock a priceless asset for your career: networking. A solid network can open new doors for excellent opportunities and take your career to the next level.
Building a competitive edge in a global market
In today’s interconnected economy, supply chain expertise is in high demand, but it can be tough to stand out in such a competitive field.
But through your tenure in a graduate programme, you’ll learn and develop the skills it takes to thrive in a global market, especially with Shell, as we operate worldwide.
Skills and experience you’ll gain
Strategic sourcing
Strategic sourcing isn’t just about finding the lowest price. It’s about developing long-term, value-driven relationships with suppliers, and finding them is key for business.
You’ll learn how to analyse market trends and use that information to identify potential suppliers, as well as evaluate their compatibility with business goals.
Strategic sourcing fits with our sustainability goals at Shell, as it includes developing sustainable and ethical procurement practices, so you’ll be considering environmental and social factors alongside cost and quality.
Supplier relationship management
Supplier relationship management (SRM) is the process of evaluating your suppliers and vendors for your company. It’s another crucial aspect of procurement that you’ll learn better through the programme, since you’ll be working with real suppliers while trying to optimise their performance.
Contract management
You’ll also learn everything about contract management, from the initial draft to the negotiations and execution. This will also give you a glimpse into the legal and commercial aspects of a contract, help you understand contract terms and conditions, and how to deal with variations and disputes.
Data analysis
Data analysis is at the heart of any decision-making endeavour, and procurement is no exception. That’s why you’ll learn to collect, clean, and analyse data from different sources, including market trends and supplier performance data. You’ll use what you learn to identify cost-saving strategies and optimise inventory levels, alongside other duties.
Risk management
Supply chains are exposed to several risks, such as price volatility and supplier disruptions, and you’ll learn how to identify, assess, and mitigate these risks.
Financial management
Financial management in procurement is all about understanding how your purchasing decisions could affect the business.
There’s a lot to learn here, such as developing and analysing cost models and evaluating supplier proposals. You’ll also learn to forecast, budget, and report financial transactions related to procurement.
Career prospects after completion
The Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement equips you with a strong foundation for a diverse range of positions in supply chain management. Here are some of the positions to keep an eye on once you graduate:
- Category manager: Develop and implement sourcing strategies for specific categories of goods or services.
- Contract manager: Draft, negotiate, and manage contracts with suppliers while ensuring compliance with regulations.
- Sourcing specialist: Identify and evaluate suppliers and improve the sourcing process.
- Supplier relationship manager: Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and ensure that deliveries are smooth.
- Procurement analyst: Determine needed supply, evaluate supplier performance, negotiate prices and purchasing terms, and oversee contracts.
- Delivery fulfilment analyst: Optimise the delivery process to minimise operational costs and improve efficiency.
How to apply to the Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement
Ready to launch your procurement career with Shell? The application process is designed to identify top talent, so preparation is key.
First, read more about the Shell Graduate Programme to understand its structure and benefits.
Once you’re ready, you can submit your online application, where you’ll go through two stages before receiving an offer. The first stage is the virtual job try-out, where we’ll simulate real-world challenges to assess your problem-solving skills. After that, there’s the on-demand interview; we’ll give you time to prepare for it and record your responses. Overall, the first stage should take around 40 minutes.
If you complete this stage, then it’s time for the final assessment. Here, you’ll complete a virtual case study session with two Shell employees, but we’ll give you all the learning material beforehand. Afterwards, you’ll go through a virtual interview with the same two employees so we can get to know you better.
Once you’ve completed both stages, you might receive an offer to join the Shell Graduate Programme.
Read the transcript
Read the transcript
Title: Applying to the Shell Graduate Programme
Duration: 2:44 minutes
Description:
This video explains what we look out for in candidates applying to the Shell Graduate Programme and the process to apply.
Applying to the Shell Graduate Programme - Transcript
[Background music plays]
Upbeat energetic music.
[Animated sequence]
Confetti bursts onto the screen against a yellow background. Text and Shell Pecten logo appear on screen.
[Text displays]
Applying to the Shell Graduate Programme
[Voice over]
Excited about applying to the Shell Graduate Programme? Here’s what you need to know.
[Animated sequence]
Multiple illustrated characters from diverse backgrounds fill the shape of a pecten and then expand to fill the entire frame.
[Voice over]
We welcome graduates from all backgrounds, countries and cultures, bringing a huge variety of skills and experience to our team.
[Animation sequence]
An illustrated female character sat at her desk typing on a laptop appears inside the outline of the Shell Pecten.
[Text displays]
Key criteria we look out for
[Voice over]
Yet there are a few key criteria we look out for in applications.
[Animated sequence]
A blue background fills the frame. Text appears on screen one word at a time, with a ball bouncing over the words from left to right.
[Text displays]
some of the competencies you’ll need to succeed
[Voice over]
No matter the role, here are some of the competencies you’ll need to succeed.
[Animated sequence]
Letters C against a blue background, A against an orange background and R against a yellow background appear next to each other on screen. Words drop down from the top of the screen above each letter.
[Text displays]
Capacity
Achievement
Relationships
[Voice over]
Think: C-A-R. Capacity. Achievement. Relationships.
[Animated sequence]
An illustrated male character with his hand on his chin appears inside the outline of a Shell Pecten with a light blue fill. Text appears on screen to the right.
[Text displays]
CAR
Competency 01
Capacity
analyse situations & propose solutions
[Voice over]
Capacity: you’ll be able to analyse situations and propose solutions to address problems and develop opportunities.
[Animated sequence]
The bottom half of an illustrated character walking up a flight of stairs appears on screen in the outline of a Shell Pecten with light orange fill. Text appears on screen.
[Text displays]
CAR
Competency 02
Achievement
driven to succeed and adapt by learning
[Voice over]
Achievement: you’ll be driven to succeed and adapt by learning and growing from feedback to deliver results.
[Animated sequence]
Two illustrated characters appear inside a pecten with a yellow fill. They high-five each other. Text appears on screen.
[Text displays]
CAR
Competency 03
Relationships
working effectively in a diverse team
[Voice over]
Relationships: you’ll thrive working effectively in a diverse team and be able to build mutually beneficial, positive working relationships.
[Animated sequence]
Two illustrated characters depicting graduates appear on screen inside the Shell Pecten with a light grey fill. One is in a graduation robe and the other has a backpack and study book. Text appears on screen.
[Text displays]
in your final year
already graduated
[Voice over]
You’ll either be in your final year - or already graduated from a recognised university and have anywhere between zero- and three-years’ work experience.
[Animated sequence]
A close-up of an illustrated female character at her desk in front of a laptop appears on screen inside the Shell Pecten. A speech bubble with text appears above her.
[Text displays]
Feel like you fit the profile? Great!
[Voice over]
Feel like you fit the profile? Great!
[Animated sequence]
The screen splits in two with the left of the screen in orange and the right in blue.
[Text displays]
Two Stages
[Voice over]
There are two stages to the application process.
[Animated sequence]
An illustrated female character appears on screen pointing to an icon of an envelope. She is inside the Shell Pecten with a light orange fill and surrounded by other icons. Text appears on screen.
[Text displays]
Stage One
Job Tryout
how well you respond to situations at work. You’ll tackle challenges, demonstrate problem-solving skills, and share your unique approach to work.
[Voice over]
The first stage starts with the Virtual Job Tryout. Through simulations, you’ll be assessed on how well you respond to situations at work. You’ll tackle challenges, demonstrate problem-solving skills, and share your unique approach to work.
[Animated sequence]
Text disappears and a barometer appears behind the illustrated character, with the dial moving from left to right.
[Text displays]
Stage One
gives us a way of evaluating how well you’ll fit into the Graduate Programme.
[Voice over]
The Virtual Job Tryout gives you an insight into what your role might look like and gives us a way of evaluating how well you’ll fit into the Graduate Programme.
[Animated sequence]
The screen fills with an orange background and text appears to the left of the screen with an illustrated male character with a notebook and pen in hand to the right of the screen.
[Text displays]
Stage One
For the Job Tryout you’ll want to
Be prepared
there are lots of tools out there to help you with this.
[Voice over]
For the Virtual Job Tryout you’ll want to: Be prepared - there are lots of tools out there to help you with this.
[Animated sequence]
The text disappears and a new illustrated male character appears to the right of the frame sat in front of a computer. Text appears on screen.
[Text displays]
Stage One
For the Job Tryout you’ll want to
Be focused
you’ll need to listen and respond appropriately.
[Voice over]
Be focused - you'll need to listen and respond appropriately.
[Animated sequence]
Text disappears and an illustrated female character appears to the right of the frame smiling. Text appears on screen
[Text displays]
Stage One
For the Job Tryout you’ll want to
Be yourself
your genuine response will ensure you are sharing what makes a role ideal for you.
[Voice over]
Be Yourself - your genuine response will ensure you are sharing what makes a role ideal for you.
[Animated sequence]
An illustrated male character appears to the right of the frame sat behind his computer with a microphone next to him. Text swipes in from the left.
[Text displays]
Stage One
On-Demand Interview
You’ll be asked certain questions, and you’ll need to record your answers.
[Voice over]
After this, you’ll straight away move onto the On-Demand Interview. You’ll be asked certain questions, and you’ll need to record your answers.
[Animated sequence]
A giant number 1 appears on the left of the screen.
[Text displays]
Stage 1 should take around 40 minutes to complete.
[Voice over]
This first stage takes around 40 minutes.
[Animated sequence]
A blue background appears with two illustrated characters sat on chairs in front of an oversized screen. An illustrated character appears on the screen holding note cards. Text appears on screen.
[Text displays]
Stage Two
A Case Study session with two Shell employees.
[Voice over]
Then, some candidates will move onto stage 2. You’ll take part in a virtual case study session with two Shell employees. (Don’t worry - we’ll give you everything you need to prepare for this.)
[Animated sequence]
The animation changes and an illustrated female character appears to the right of the screen. She is sat in a chair in front of a computer waving at another character on screen. Text changes.
[Text displays]
Stage Two
An Interview
We’ll get to know you a bit better and - just as importantly - you’ll get to know us better, too.
[Voice over]
Finally: a virtual interview. We’ll get to know you a bit better and - just as importantly - you’ll get to know us better, too.
[Animated sequence]
The animation transitions to a computer screen with a world map on it. Two illustrated characters, a male and female, appear in front of the screen and shake hands. A red speech bubble appears above the woman and an orange speech bubble above the man. The background changes from white to yellow and bright confetti appears on screen above the illustrated characters. Text appears from the top.
[Text displays]
Congratulations!
[Voice over]
If successful over these two stages, you could be offered a place in the Shell Graduate Programme.
Congratulations!
[Animated sequence]
Characters disappear and text appears on screen.
[Text displays]
Ready to get going and tackle energy-related challenges?
Start your application process today
Apply to the Shell Graduate Programme
[Voice over]
So: ready to get going and tackle energy-related challenges? Start your application process today!
[Animated sequence]
The pecten energy lines appear on a yellow background. The small classic red and yellow Pecten logo appears on the screen.
[Background music plays]
Sound of Shell mnemonic.
Power your progress: Take the next step in your career
Shell Graduate Programme for Procurement is more than a learning journey - it’s an opportunity to collaborate with others and grow as a professional in supply chain management through hands-on experience and mentorship.
At Shell, we’re committed to fostering a healthy and inclusive learning environment built on our core values of honesty, integrity, and respect. We believe it’s how we can create a productive and priceless experience not just in the programme, but in the company as a whole.
If you fit the bill and want to take the next step, apply to the Shell Graduate Programme today and kickstart your career in the procurement industry!
