Operations degree apprentice Review

In my daily role I spent time with different functions and areas of the business to develop my skills and knowledge. A lot of my time was also used to learn the process of the factory, training opportunities as well as using time to study for my degree qualification. There was a lot of variation in my daily role

I learnt new skills especially with communication, leadership, emotional intelligence and working with people of all ages and backgrounds. I also developed my knowledge around working with people and understanding peoples personality in order to drive a team and get results. I learnt the manufacturing process of the plant which has allowed me to be in the role that I am in now.

There were some very enjoyable moments of the programme mainly related to the collaboration between nestle sites. On the scheme I got to meet people from all over the country who were also completing the scheme in their own way. This made our university learning weeks much more diverse and enjoyable.

The general organisation and structure of this scheme was poor. It was the first year the scheme had been run by nestle and this inevitably brought issues. There was a lot of variation across different sites and a limited understanding of the purpose of the apprenticeship and role at the end. This scheme also didn't consider the long term goals of the business and restructures planned.

There is a number of answers for this question mainly due to the fact that some of the support I received throughout my apprenticeship was very positive and helpful. However, there were many times I was left with no objectives, support or direction from the team around me very early on. This left me vulnerable to negative feedback and further disengagement due to the lack of support I received.

The support from the university was very good as well as supporting the end point assessment process and criteria that had to be fulfilled. The lecturers always offered support when we were not attending the university and tried to help us to use our experiences to base the research on.

The relationship between the role and the educational aspect was limited. There wasn't enough consideration put into the fact that a business management degree doesn't directly link with a food manufacturing plant. Whilst there are skills that can be transferred between one or the other there is no direct link between the degree and the work role.

Nestle is a large business that covers the UK and often has different opportunities to get involved. My site more specifically have a sports and social club to get discounts on days outs and trips. They also offer two volunteering days for you to go and volunteer for a charity of your choice as well as often gifting free breakfasts for good factory performance and holidays.

No

This is a challenging question as although I would not recommend my scheme, my factory or my role. I would definitively recommend working at one of the other Nestle sites in a different role. Nestle is balanced as a commercial and operational business both with very different daily roles and expectations.

I would really ask people to carefully choose which role would suit them either commercial or operational. This is because the diversity in terms of working hours, pace and expectations vary greatly. I would suggest reading up on the business and which areas of the world make what products to increase your understanding of the business.