Shopper Marketing Apprentice Review

I work in Toiletries Shopper Marketing at Unilever. On a day-to-day basis my role includes: approving artwork from agencies, briefing agencies and making sure every project we do reaches its deadline. In my role i work with a variety of people from across the business giving good internal relationships meaning our colleagues are able to trust us for future projects.

I came into this apprenticeship straight from school meaning i had very little office/business knowledge. At least once a fortnight i get the opportunity to go to a training course on-site/off-site to gain more knowledge on my role or the company and the way in which we work. From March to now (June) my knowledge on working in a business has increased rapidly and i look forward to learning more.

Leaving school was a big decision i had to make and i can happily say that leaving and coming to Unilever was the best decision I've ever made. The team i got assigned to has made me feel so welcome and it didn't take long for me to feel a part of it. Everyday i wake up and look forward to work, it's better than i thought it could be.

I have a very good relationship with my manager. From the beginning she made me feel welcome and a part f the team. My team try to get me involved with as many projects as possible without over loading me. I don't feel like anyone treats me differently as an apprentice, they value my help as much as they value everyone else's.

When i first started my apprenticeship we had two full days blocked out to give us an insight to Unilever and how they work plus a day telling us what we should expect from our time at the company. Every week i have a meeting with the apprenticeship agency so that they can keep track of my progress and make sure that i'm still happy. These meetings are very informal and i feel i can mention anything if i have a concern.

Every week i have meetings with the apprenticeship agency so that they're able to track my progress and ask me how i feel i'm doing. This is also the perfect opportunity to raise any concerns you may have. Once a month i have a meeting with my apprenticeship assessor so they're able to take time to talk to me about my coursework progress.

I have weekly meetings with my manager so that she is able to keep track of my progress and let me know what i should expect in the upcoming week/weeks. I also have a coach/mentor in my team who has set up weekly meetings to go through more information about my role with me. Support is easy to find at Unilever for the reason that everyone is so open to supporting you if you need any help with anything!

When i first started working at Unilever i was not able to drive so i was having to get the train from London to Leatherhead everyday. This was difficult as the journey from London was very expensive. Thankfully i have now passed my driving test and can now drive to work which financially works out much better for me. The amount of money i am currently making is the most i have ever made so i am very grateful.

Unilever is a huge company so there are always events going on. As it is so big it would be very difficult to have an event where every employee was able to attend so you often get invited to events within the department you work in. Every team values good internal relationships so we often have team building days where we get the opportunity to get to know the people we work with a bit better. At our offices we're lucky enough to have an on-site gym which is free. Unilever promote healthy living so they encourage their employees to use it as much as possible.

Yes

Unilever is an amazing company to work for. I feel privileged to be able to have them on my CV and feel that this apprenticeship is going to help me massively in my future and anyone's future who gets the same opportunity that i have been given.

I was terrified to present at the assessment day but it honestly was not that bad. No one there made me feel nervous and i just got up and done the best i could. I made sure my presentation was on a topic that i was able to get the rest of the audience involved in so that they were able to relate with me. The most important thing at the assessment day is to be yourself, Unilever take pride in their employees and you need to show them that you really want to be a part of this amazing company.