Chemistry R&D apprentice Review

I am currently in Consumer technical insight, trying to develop methods for comparing personal care products for claims support. I have an equal split of my time between work and university and I am currently completing my final year project for my dissertation. I work mostly independently performing image analysis and gathering data which can be presented to the rest of my team and wider cohorts that may benefit from my findings.

I have learnt a lot about measurements and formulation involved in consumer goods and I have also developed my skills in the ability of collecting data and reporting back to a team through a presentation ect. I feel that have gained a lot of organisation skills due to having to balance work and study throughout my time as an apprentice.

I really enjoy my programme, I am treated as any other member of staff and I feel valued in my team. I have made friends for life in other apprentices in my year and I feel like I have had an amazing opportunity which has set me up for life with a good career whether it be at Unilever or elsewhere.

The majority of the time it has been very well organised however in others it seems to be lacking. For example during new rotations (I change departments every year) the manager does not seem to know the full extent of the apprenticeship scheme and don't understand what kind of amount of work to give me. This means that ion the past I have been left with little or nothing to do other than studying which mean I don't get the most out of my placement.

There are always people in work who can help if you need it. In terms of study the main source of support were older and ex-apprentices who have experienced the scheme and degree themselves. The employer leaves most education base issues up to the university. I have had a lot of support from my employer regarding mental heath which has effected me in recent months and ensured that I am comfortable in the work place and have time to attend external appointments ect which I really appreciate.

We all have an academic advisor who is available and lecturers are very attentive and are there to help with any issues you may have with course material. They ahev forums set up for any questions you may have and offer to make appointments to see them for help. Student support at the university is second to none.

I feel that the content does not entirely relate to my current role as my degree involves a lot of fundamental chemistry which isn't really considered in consumer goods. However I feel that the degree will come in useful when working in formulation and processing role which involve a lot of chemistry fundamentals. I feel the degree offers training in some skills such as presentation, report writing and certain software which may come in useful.

I do not get involved with any extracurricular activities in the work place. in the past I have attended a free yoga class which I feel was really helpful for stress and some posture problems that can arise from desk work and this was emphasised when I was there. The wellbeing initiative is amazing here and there is a lot to do if you chose to. I have very little time recently due to commitment to uni but I will consider them more once I have graduated

Yes

It is a very good company to work for and the apprenticeship scheme has been an amazing opportunity for me and I would recommend it to anyone. I take part in outreach events in order to promote the apprenticeship scheme. I have really enjoyed my time here and I feel that Unilever has set me up for an amazing career.

I would say to do your homework about the company and understand their values and ethos in terms of sustainability and standards of leadership. I would say that you should be yourself and emphasise your passions both in and outside of the world of industry. If you have little industrial experience there are many transferable skills that you will have from past employment that would be valued by the company