R&D chemistry apprentice Review

On a day to day basis I aid the team I am involved in with laboratory work. A typical day will involve lab work, data processing and write ups using various methods.

I have completed a HNC in chemistry and am going onto a Bsc. I have also been trained on various instrumentation for which I can use unsupervised. I have also gained confidence.

I enjoy the laboratory work, it's challenging and exciting, the job is what I expected it to be. The overall experience I am gaining whilst here is also enjoyable.

I felt like one of the team from day one, not just a person who had just left school. I feel highly valued and get high praise from colleagues and my line manager

My programme is well structured, we have a dedicated person responsible for the organisation of the apprentice scheme who checks up on us on a regular basis.

Through my apprenticeship I travel to university once a week, whilst there we are given lectures, if the lectures aren't fully clear there is support material online, failing that I visit my tutor.

I have been assigned a mentor who I can go to for any problem, big or small. I get support from colleagues in my team and my line manager, everyone is happy to help.

My salary gives me the ability to pay living costs, whilst also having money left over for spending/saving. The location of my work is also good, it is 20mins from the nearest busy town.

I haven't had any opportunities myself, although I know fellow apprentices who have had various activities outside of work. I would like to have more opportunities to do activities outside of work.

Yes

I would highly recommend the Unilever apprenticeship programme, they support you from day one and aid you in both academic and job learnings.

Learn everything you can about the company, prepare everything beforehand, preparation is key.