Operations Degree Apprentice Review

My role is to review and look at the process in which we upskill our production and engineering group in order to deliver the business results needed to grow. This involves training, coaching and assessing people's competence on a regular basis and working with other line managers to create an autonomous working environment.

I have built my coaching and training skills since joining the scheme as the role demands that I spent a lot of my time on the factory floor doing this. As well as this, I am using my university modules to develop my skills. For example, having carried out a unit on finance, I will then go spend some time with the factory finance team to consolidate my knowledge.

I am enjoying the variation of the programme and the challenges that it brings. I work in a small team in the factory which is good because I spend a lot of time working with my colleagues to overcome issues. By doing so, I have built some key relationships which are critical to my role. By continuing to build rapport, I will be able to achieve more when working in teams and asking for support.

Nestle give me a lot of responsibility and autonomy. By being given this, i am able to make big decisions in my role and find best practises from other factories around the UK, in order to implement in York. This means that I also get to travel to different sites when the business allows.

I feel that the programme I am on is not very well structured. This is probably because the scheme is new, but alignment of roles across the UK is limited, which means there are large differences between sites. I am hoping that this will improve once the business understands better the succession roles that the programme will lead to.

Weeks down at Sheffield Hallam university are good and well structured. We are given plenty of support to acheive and complete the assignments which is important when you are doing this alongside a full time job. I am always able to contact the university when I need and they are happy to answer the questions I have, getting back to me in a timely manor.

I have a brilliant mentor who is guiding me through and I will continue to use her throughout my career. My mentor is not someone that was recommended to me by the business, but someone I found myself who has some great experiences that I can draw upon. My line manager is also supportive in the apprenticeship process and is keen to see how we can better the programme for future apprentices going forwards.

I feel i am paid accordingly, I am able to save money whilst on the scheme. providing we perform in our roles, we will get a pay rise year on year, which is great as it means more money! I am very grateful for being able to do flexible working too, as it means I can work longer and shorter days when I need, which is important as I have other commitments outside of work.

I have been involved with macmillan charity events through the factory, which is our company charity. We are also given two days voluntary leave to do charity or community work, which I intend to use this year to support the local community in some way. Being able to go to university regularly means that I meet people from different Nestle sites and schemes on a regular basis and we go out as groups to share our experiences at our respective sites and see if there are any learnings to take back to our own sites.

Yes

Nestlé is a great employer! In my role i am able to have flexible working, which means I can work my hours around my life and around the needs of the business at the same time. The opportunities and responsibilities given to me as an apprentice are big and I think it is important to take the opportunities given to me in order to develop as my career progresses. The support given to me by my line manager is good and we have regular check ins to make sure I'm on track and progressing

I would recommend that you do your background research on the business. nestle is a large organisation and the biggest food and drink manufacturer in the world, therefore try to understand the different businesses that nestle operates to give yourself an appreciation of this. This is still important if you are applying to a factory role where you are focussed on a category, ie confectionery or waters. Understanding wider shows that you have done some research on the business and try to display your research in yoour interview and when talking to other candidates and facilitators. This research is also invaluable when answering the online assessments.