Commercial Apprentice Review

As a Commercial Apprentice in the eCommerce team (which sits within Sales) my duties include developing Amazon A+ content across the business and improving product titles across all categories. On a day-to-day basis I develop A+ pages for our many brands, as well as guide brand executives/managers on how to optimise their product titles for online.

Sales has been my first placement on the Commercial Apprenticeship Scheme, it has been a fantastic 6 months where I have learnt new and developed existing skills. My role has encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and present to my peers and colleagues at university and on my placement projects. My written communication has also improved, I am able to write emails which are precise, to the point and effective.

I have absolutely loved the program so far and recommend it to anyone interested in studying Business at university. This is a much better option than traditional university as you gain invaluable experience in 4 very different areas of the business. Nestle take great care in looking after their employees and everyone is very friendly and welcoming.

The scheme has a great deal of structure and is really well organised. It is made up of four six month placements; CCSD, Sales, Marketing and Supply Chain. Alongside this I attend university for a week approx. every six weeks. Then in our final year we specialise in the area we enjoy most/where the business needs us.

I received bundles of support from Nestle to ensure that I settled into my first role and into the business. I had to relocate for the apprenticeship; all of the new starters for the coming year were put into a Facebook group so that we could get to know one another and find housemates if necessary. This was really helpful! We are each given a buddy from the year above who will help us with any issues/questions we might have. My manager has been absolutely fantastic, she has given me all the support I need.

Sheffield Hallam is a great university, which really takes the time and effort to ensure we receive the education we need. At university we have lectures from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday, they are intensive but make sure we cover everything. Lecturers are always on hand via email whenever we have a question and are not at university.

Through completing university assignments my written communication has drastically improved. I can now structure emails in a way that will ensure I get the best outcome. My presentation skills have also come on leaps and bounds, at the end of each week at university we have to present on the module topic.

I am based at Gatwick office and we have a dog friendly policy, we are encouraged to go on dog walks to get some fresh air. The Sales team are very sociable, there is an events team who organise fun team activities such as bowling. Most areas of the business have their own annual conferences, these are a great opportunity to network.

Yes

Nestle is such a good company to work for; the work is stimulating, hard work is appreciated/rewarded and employees are looked after. I also really like the apprentice culture, there are a lot of us and we make an effort to eat lunch together and a get together on the weekends.

I think it's important to be yourself when applying, as Nestle are looking for personalities which fit their company culture. Be sure to read up on strengths based interview questions and the latest news relating to Nestle. There is no need to be nervous, the HR team were lovely when I went for my assessment center, best of luck!