Operations Degree Apprentice Review

I am always doing something different. Supporting teams in projects and also leading them, the responsibility is there. I enjoy training and upskilling people, and I am able to do this daily through the different support networks in the factories. We are very lucky to get one day a week for are university work which is priceless considering the time it takes to work full time and do a degree on the side.

I have learnt lots about emotional/social intelligence, I feel good about approaching new people who have different stories and situations, and enjoy coaching and training people who truly need that support. I feel more confident in myself in regard to how I come across. However, I don't feel like I have learnt any key 'skills' from my new role, not at the rate I would have liked to. However, it is still early in my apprenticeship and I realize things take time.

I like the team I am currently based in, and the support is there for me. However, the structure of the program has been very disappointing. Myself and others feel like there is no substantial plan in place for us, which is compounded by the fact we don't feel valued due to a lack of resource which has been promised, but never delivered. The apprenticeship is very far away from what I had in mind. Operations degree apprentice, suggests looking at the business holistically diving into all aspects of a business from supply chain through to sales and marketing. On paper it sounded very good but has failed to meet expectations

The programme isn't structured as well as I would have liked and thought. This seems to be mirrored by other operations degree apprentices at other sites. There is no sense of 'end goal' it is very much what is available to the business now. The apprenticeship lacks structure and organisation, I don't think it helps that this is the first year of the programme.

I receive lots of support form the team that I am in now. If there is anything I need help with they are always there to help me, and its nice to know I can go to them with confidence about anything. The best thing about my role is the support that is there for you if you need it.

The training providers at university give you lots of support when you are down at University and can therefore have 1-1 conversations. Sometimes it is difficult to get that support when you are not at university as communicating with people in order to make things 'clear' is often not desirable and a good idea over email. However, If you need help with anything they are often very quick and good at replying. In the past they have extended deadlines if we have all been struggling.

The degree itself has very little relation to the job that I do at Dalston. there has only been a handful of modules such as operations management that have linked to what I do. However, having a full understanding of the business environment allows you to see how large businesses like Nestle operate. And in that sense it is helpful to make relations to what other people do.

there are no extra-curricular activities that I am ware of that are on offer. However there are discounts on gym memberships which is helpful. We have set up our own sport teams outside of work to encourage networking. It would be nice to see some incentives from nestle to get more people active outside of work.

Yes

Although I have had challenges with my apprenticeship, all in all nestle is a huge business, where it is easy to transfer and make connections with different sites across the world. The experience you will gain from working here is huge and there is always something new on the horizon to keep you engaged.

If you want to work in technical or commercial then this its important to know what you're most suited for. If you enjoy a more physical role, like training/upskilling and hands on work then the technical side of the business is for you. If you are more suited towards the strategic side of things then commercial is a better route to go down.