R&D Degree Apprentice Review

by Unilever

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

9/10
  • 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

    • Designing ice cream formulations and then producing these on lab or pilot plant scale. Then carrying out physical measurements and tastings on the products made. Working within a team of people to develop new or improve current products.

    10/10
  • 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

    • Presenting projects back to senior stakeholders, different research methods, formulating

    10/10
  • 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

    • I enjoy it a lot, as food science apprentices we rotate into different teams which allows us to deepen our understanding about different teams in the ice cream business. There is a group of apprentices at Colworth which creates a nice community.

    10/10
  • 4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

    • We work 4 days a week and then have a study day one day a week. I go up to uni for a block week 4 times a year (this decreases to 3 in 3rd year). As mentioned before we also rotate into different teams and change roles.

    9/10
  • 5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

    • We are given 1 day a week which allows us to do our university work.

    8/10
  • 6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

    • We are given 1 day a week which allows us to do our university work. Also the projects we work on at work help us towards our uni work

    8/10
  • 7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

    • Yes they both work well together, some on the projects completed at work are written up as final submission for some of our modules at uni.

    10/10
  • 8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

    • Yes Colworth has many sports clubs you can join and as they is a group of apprentices we often do activities together. There isn't many professional networking events at our site, they are more based in the London/Kingston offices.

    7/10
  • 9a. Would you recommend Unilever to a friend?

    • Yes

  • 9b. Why?

    • It's a really good company to work for and this apprenticeship is a great way to study and work at the same time, helping you gain the skills and knowledge of working in the food industry.

  • 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Unilever?

    • Research the company before, in your interview make sure you ask questions

Details

Degree Apprenticeship

Science, Research

Sharnbrook

February 2025

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