Marketing Apprentice Review

My role is based within the Local Brand Marketing team, where I am working towards becoming a fully fledged Assistant Brand Manager. Mt daily tasks include checking my emails for ad-hoc duties which need to been managed quickly and effectively, assisting the Brand Manager with certain projects, alongside projects that I am leading and looking after the day to day running of Viennetta, which I have been given sole charge of. Each day within my role is different, but I get the opportunity to work alongside many different teams; for example, I work with the Licensing team on projects which involve licensing the Wall's brand to create official merchandise.

Aside from gaining a Level 3 Diploma in Business and Administration, I have been given many opportunities to attend internal and external training courses which range from learning to use a new tool to presentation and communication skills. From this, I have grown into a much more confident person, learnt how to present to a large group effectively and become the team champion in certain tools

I am enjoying the programme to the fullest potential. The team that I am based with are amazing and supportive in all ways, and I was extremely surprised to find out that they are all just as fun outside of work. It has definitely exceeded my expectations and I would do it all again!

One thing my manager frequently tells me is "What would I do without you?" This shows me the amount of appreciation that she has for me and more importantly, the work I do. One piece of work that I did gained me a lot of recognition as it was passed to all of the Brand teams who work in Ice Cream as a benchmark.

The first two days when I started was induction training. This training was based around the coursework side of the programme as on the third day, you meet your line manager and start to get to grips with your role. There is constant support from the Apprenticeship Delivery Team, PDS & Apprentice Employment Agency so if there are ever any issues, they make it clear that they are approachable, and you can talk to them about anything. Fortunately for me, there has never been an issue I have had to raise. This programme is organised really well, with great support and training along the way.

I have a tutor who visits every month and is extremely supportive/impressed with the work that I do. They are there to give guidance, and she does exactly that. I enjoy meeting up with her as we always have a great laugh and it does not feel like a student/teacher relationship that you would have at school.

My employer is immensely supportive from my line manager to my VP! If I ever need help with a task, I can ask anyone in my team without feeling awkward as they all want to be there and help me to be the best I can be.

The salary is well paid for an apprenticeship; this is shown in the fact that I was able to move out of my parents house, pay for a car and running costs as well as having enough left over to go out socially every weekend (& buy clothes to go out in!).

Whilst company events are limited, I have gone to a good few. One of my highlights was being invited to an exclusive concert with Little Mix! I have also had an amazing opportunity to volunteer at the Epsom and Ewell Food Bank which really opened my eyes up about the amount of homeless people in the area I was born and raised in. When I am not working, I am usually at the stables as I own horses. My manager is very understanding if I need to go early some days as she also used to own/ride horses!

Yes

I have actually previously recommended Unilever to a friend! I rave about my job 24/7 and my friends love the fact that I do not dread Monday mornings, instead I look forward to them.

The main piece of advice I would give anyone applying for Unilever is to be yourself. As cheesy as that sounds, they really look for those who are confident and comfortable within themselves and striving to learn. It does not matter about your previous work experiences, only that you have the determination it takes to succeed.