Product Engineer for Oral Care Discover Review

I am in the Product Engineering Team for Oral Care. I am on two tooth whitening projects and daily tasks include manufacturing toothpaste at 10KG scale, measuring rheology of the prototypes, attending and giving updates on the progress of my samples. I am also responsible for ordering raw materials for the team.

The main skill I have developed is my confidence. This has been through giving updates to team members, as well as giving formal presentations of my work to senior members of the organisation and liaising with suppliers.

I enjoyed my programme very much. It was extremely challenging but allowed me to experience working life in 4 departments before I chose where I would like to apply for a permanent job.

I feel very valued by Unilever. I work in such a small team so have been given a lot of responsibility over the last few months which gives me the opportunity to reach my full potential.

Being the first R&D apprentices on site in over 20 years was a challenge at first, but as the first year passed we quickly settled in and were supported by colleagues and college lecturers.

The support system improved over my time on the apprenticeship as people began to understand where the apprentices fit in with the organisation. College and University staff were as helpful as they could be.

This varied from department to department. Some managers were more understanding of the apprenticeship than others, however the apprenticeship leaders were always supporting us.

My salary met my costs very well as I still live at home. Being my first proper job after school, I was surprised at how much I was getting paid whilst still learning so much!

Being in an apprentice community meant there were lots of opportunities to socialise outside of work. Work also organised away days/team building activities every year too to help us bond with colleagues.

Yes

I would recommend Unilever to a friend because of the opportunities it has given me. I have been able to grow and improve in so many aspects of my life and made some amazing life long friends.

The main advice I would give to someone applying for the Unilever apprenticeship would be to come and have a tour before you apply. It will allow the apprenticeship leaders to put a face to a name when looking at your application.