UK&I Communications Apprentice Review

I work in the communications department for Unilever. My main role is in internal communications for our UK head office in Leatherhead. My day to day tasks are to look after our internal booking channels. That means, if any of our brands have messages or launches that they want to share with their colleagues, I work with them to find an appropriate way of doing this. A longer running project for me is to find ways of improving our internal communication within the business. I also help organise ad hoc events, such as our quartery company conference that engages with the whole MCO.

Though completing my apprenticeship I will gain a level 3 NVQ in business administration (which is the equivalent to two A-levels!). I think the skills that I have been able to develop most throughout my apprenticeship has been my soft skills. By actually learning in the workplace you are able to develop your business acumen and communications skills and have a much better understanding of the world of work.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Unilever. I get the benefits of gaining qualifications in a world-class company and getting that all-important work experience that you need to kick-start an amazing career. Not to mention the people you meet and relationships you build.

Unilever is really investing into youth talent in line with their USLP (Unilever Sustainable Living Programme) to try and tackle youth unemployment in the UK and Ireland. This makes you feel like a valued part of the business as there is a real business case for you working there, and not only does it benefit the business, it benefits you!

We have quite an agile working culture in Unilever, so we are able to best decide and manage our own time. This gives us the ability to complete sections of our coursework when it suits us. We also have regular visits from our learning provider to help make sure we stay on track of all our work.

We receive regular visits from our training provider where we can talk about the work that we submitted and we can also ask if we need any support that we may not be comfortable asking our team with. They are also contactable on email and phone should you ever need to talk.

Obviously the support you receive varies from department to department and also depends on your line manager. My team is very supportive of my apprenticeship and values the work that I do. It is a good community to be part of as if you need any support or guidance at all - you only need to ask.

As I work in the UK head office in Leatherhead, it is quite secluded in the countryside. This means that you need to bear in mind travel costs. However, our salary is very competitive and gives you enough money to balance out your living costs and social costs.

Working for Unilever comes with many benefits. they are a very employee dedicated company and put the well being of employees first. Last year we held a company volunteering day were everyone had the opportunity to take a day out of work to volunteer in the local community. There are also schemes to help you balance your home life, volunteering, well being and much more.

Yes

It is an amazing experience and it teaches you so much about how a business works and about yourself as well. You also get paid for learning which is an added bonus!

Try to get as much experience as possible to help you show off the skills that you have. As with any interview you should be honest and try not to be nervous, at the time you feel like there should be a right answer to interview questions but really they are only asking them because they want to find out more about you! So relax and enjoy the experience.