Chartered Manager Degree Apprentice Review

I have rotated around a number of roles across the business in my time at Nestle. I have carried out roles in Beverage, Food and Dairy and Sales. These roles have been in Marketing, Sales and Supply Chain. The roles are full time roles within the business. This is good as it makes you feel like a true part of the team.

I've learnt a number of skills during my time at Nestle. The in house training has been most effective for me to gain skills whilst the SHU modules haven't delivered the same effective learning experiences but instead have reinforced learning that I've had already in the work place.

The scheme is very enjoyable. The work is challenging but interesting. University weeks give the opportunity to socialize with other apprentices and students. The scheme is set to give you an experience of all parts of working at Nestle and the team are constantly on hand to help improve your experience.

The program is well structured with clear transition dates of different roles. To improve it would be good if we were given slightly more notice of the new roles. It would also be good if the university is able to share confirmation of uni weeks so that we can plan annual leave and in house training better.

We receive a lot of support from a number of different people within the business including our line managers, buddys and HR. The support is spread across University support, day-to-day work support and support in any career planning that you wish to do. If there are any issues they are dealt with in a timely manor.

We provide good support from Sheffield Hallam University when it comes to working towards the degree and diploma. We receive support from a work based learning coach as well who ensures we meet the CMDA criteria. It would be improved if Nestle and Sheffield Hallam University worked more closely with each other.

Sheffield Hallam University teaches us a number of theoretical concepts but not all are relevant to our role. An example of this is that we have a HR module however during our time on the scheme we don't carry out any HR work or experience of a HR placement.

I've been able to get involved in a number of social activities with my teams and divisions such as drinks, meals out and learning opportunities. I've also been able to experience a number of social events as part of the scheme such as afternoon tea at Parliament and a premiere viewing of Spiderman. There are also opportunities to go to the o2 and experience the Nestle box.

Yes

Nestle has been an incredibly supportive company. I've had the opportunity to experience a number of different roles which would normally require a number of years work experience to access. It is also an enjoyable scheme with the added bonus of getting a degree and also CMI status upon graduation.

Be yourself would be my biggest tip. Nestle looks for a variety of different people when it comes to there recruitment. - Ensure you have prepared examples to showcase your skills and how you have displayed certain behaviours e.g. Leadership, Teamwork or Motivation. ​ - The loudest in the room isn’t always the greatest – make sure you display good listening skills as well contributing to the tasks. ​ - Do your research! – make sure you understand Nestle as a company, what products they offer, their ethos and core business principles. ​ - Leave plenty of time in the morning – the office will let you in as early as you want, better to be safe than sorry! ​ - Make use of the time in-between exercises and the people that are there – find out as much as you can about the roles, what people do, and the company. These informal interactions are key to helping you understand whether Nestle is the right company for you.