Digital Engagment Apprentice Review

1. I am very recent in my apprenticeship so I am still learning my role however I am part of the Digital Communications team so my day to day role at the moment involves supporting my team with a variety of different tasks. My team cover both internal and external communications for the business via our numerous digital channels. On a day to day basis I am required to audit the Unilever.com website and its 47 country websites, collect and provide data reports about how well a website is performing and if it is complying with standards and also help develop and drive new projects the team is issued. I am also required to provide admin support to my team as per my business admin apprenticeship however this is only a small part of the role as my role is mainly based on the Digital communication tasks.

The whole process of interviewing and then being successful and my first few months in the job has taught me so much. I have learnt lots of new communication skills and techniques as well as developing my people skills with both internal and external stakeholder.

I love my programme so far. The team I have joined have been so welcoming as so supportive. Each member of the team was willing to give up their time to have one to one inductions so they could explain what they do and how I at expect to be working with them, but also just to get to know them and therefore settle into the team easier. The work I get to do each day is also very interesting. It is unlike anything I have done before so there is so much to learn which is very exciting. The company culture is also great to come into. The agile working culture makes work flexible and more enjoyable to complete.

Despite being an apprentice I feel no different to a full time employee due to the responsibility and flexibility I have been given in my role. The only difference is as an apprentice I am very aware that there is a lot of support around me should I feel I need it or want to tap into it. I am given the same roles and responsibilities as other employees as well as similar benefits to other employees. I have a great team around me that have trusted me to complete important tasks right from when I very first started and also fell very valued by my line manager and team for the work that I carry out and complete.

Very well structured and organised from the Unilever and AEA side of things. I took a while to get your head around who you spoke to for what you need help with but that quickly makes sense. The 2 day induction was really helpful, it really helps you settle in and it is great the meet the other apprentices starting the course with you. Training with Unilever has been excellent. People are very understanding that you are new and very patient with you while you are learning. Everyone I have met at Unilever has been willing to give you their time to help you understand things and teach you new things. My line manager has also been great in understanding my need for study time for my apprenticeship and organising time for me to complete my apprenticeship work each week. It is also really helpful having out reviews with AEA who make sure that everything is going okay for us an apprentice.

Before I started the apprenticeship I was told that the training provider would provide lots of support. I have however been under whelmed by the support so far. Instructions from them are not always clear and when you ask for clarification they tell you to re-read the documents rather than answering the questions you have asked. They also take a long time to reply to emails as well as along time to mark work. It is also not always clear who you are contacting as they only have 1 general email address which I feel can sometimes be a reason for slow down reply's from them.

The support from Unilever has been excellent and much better than I could have imagined. The programme is very well thought out and executed. My line manager has been excellent in supporting me especially with my ongoing health issues. My line manager has taken to understand me and my needs and understand how she can best support me. We was also informed in our induction of all the different support networks there available to us such as nurses and mental health support. There are also rooms in most buildings you can use should you need time out during your day. Another support I was informed of as soon as I started was our free membership to the headspace app should we want to use it.

They salary of this apprenticeship is very good in comparison with lots of other apprenticeships ad much better than I was expecting it to be. It is also very generous with holiday allowance. I live at home so do not have to pay living costs however I feel it would be quite tight if I had to pay rent and bills. I do however pay for all my food and still manage to afford a decent social life.

Yes there are so many opportunities. I have only been with Unilever for 2 months and have already been offered to get involved with lots of different things. I had the opportunity to go and support at the London Marathon with the Unilever team, there was also the opportunity to support some Unilever colleagues at a charity run. I have been invited to lots of apprentice nights out. There are even opportunities such a signing up to use the free gym which they have at the 100VE,Kingston and Leatherhead offices.

Yes

They are a great company to work for. They take work very seriously but also understand and appreciate that employees have lives outside of work. Unilever makes every effort to support employees get a balance between work and home life. Their agile working strategy is a great example of this. I love the attitude and approach that Unilever takes to supporting employees get the work done. Unilever also have lots of things in place to help look after our health and well-being. Something which I think is so important in this day and age.

My biggest advice to anyone applying to Unilever would be to be completely yourself through the whole application process. Unilever has such a diverse work force in every sense of the word. Every team has such a wide range of characters of personalities and in my team in particular there are no two people the same. If you have the right skills for the job these will shine through and you will be successful. Be open minded, positive and keen to learn new things and this will really help set you apart from the crowd.