Manufacturing Apprentice Review

A day to day role of an Apprentice within Unilever changes constantly. through placements we work in many different departments and learn the full scope of the factory. we can be running the manufacturing lines, making batches of emulsion/AP to go in the deodorant can or finish up the process in palletiser. also, in the final year we focus on the continuous improvement of our machines and our site in general, this helps us develop ourselves to implement kaizens and other continuous improvement strategies when we go full time.

within the company you are responsible not just for yourself but for everyone else both on site and in the local vicinity of the factory. Unilever has helped me develop my ways of working so I work safe, have quality at the forefront of my mind and helped me develop both my individual working skills but also my skills while working within a team. I have also been able to improve my skills in continuous improvement by working on improvement projects which has allowed me to use this training and take it back onto the lines to better the working conditions in the environment I am working in.

Our apprenticeship has developed me a lot as an individual, so for this I am thankful and have fully enjoyed every moment of being an apprentice within Unilever. the opportunities we get are second to none and the contacts we have made with high level employees such as Works directors has helped me build my confidence with public speaking. the programme is both fun and progressive, we work in all different area and work with so many great people that we can learn from an adapt to meet the new standards of working.

Our programme has been well structured for the majority of the time we have been here. we have a minimum of 3 months in each placement which is long enough for us to learn the equipment and develop our skills in these placements. our final year however has been a mix due to internal issues we had to go on shift for a few months to cover gaps. this however helped develop us as we were relied upon to pull our weight being part of the crew, so we got the chance to learn more and learn it fast. the college course we did was okay and we managed to fly through that.

we receive plenty of support. we have our apprentice manager that will always try help us and put us in the best position possible for our future. he understands that everyone is different and likes to know where you enjoyed and what your opinion is on certain things to try get you involved in decision making. other managers are also very helpful as they want us to develop into the best possible operators for the future of the company so we can always rely on them. even the works director is helpful as he sees us as the future so he tries to do anything he can to see us succeed. the training we receive benefits us aswell and they support in making sure we have the training we need to carry out the job safely and correctly

in the first two years when we are at college, we were helped massively as for some of us it was a brand new subject, so we needed all the help we could get. they were great for talking us through it a few times but then also leaving us to try complete the assignments ourselves, so they could gauge where we needed the extra help.

the qualifications we receive help us in our job role as it makes us more technically minded. when working with large level machinery its good to have a technical mind as it can help diagnose faults quicker and teaches you what to look out for before problems stat to arise. it also helps us in our training as it allows us to go straight to the highest level of operator as we have already had the training we need.

their are many different extra-curricular events we get involved in through work. recruitment is a massive player for us as the apprentices are the ones who go to the schools and give presentations to students, also they go to career events to recruit there aswell. we also give tours to important people from around the world to network with other works directors from different factories.

Yes

because Unilever is a very community based company, when you join and you are working on the lines you feel involved with everything and everyone. you are looked after well but also left to learn things for yourself which is a great balance. the skills you pick up are transferrable aswell so if this isn't the place for you then you can use the skills in other factories. getting a job at Unilever is a job for life, you just have to apply yourself and find where you fit best.

when applying for Unilever, I would tell them not to worry about the qualifications they have, they help yes but Unilever is a very individual based company. they like to know who you are rather than what qualifications you bring, they focus more on you as a person so just be yourself. present yourself nice and professionally and just aim to make a good impression. get involved with the tasks you might have to do on assessment days and try and stand out from the crowd. the best thing to do if you are looking at applying for the apprenticeships is list things you may have done on your CV that show you have gone above and beyond. show that you are willing to put in extra effort and you have a good shot.