Chartered Management Degree Apprentice Review

On the CMDA apprenticeship, I work in four functions for 6 months at a time for the first two years, these being sales; supply chain; marketing and category. I then go back into my preferred function (or based on business need) for the third year. Day-to-day responsibilities vary between function and role but generally include taking on projects or managing customer or brand activities. For example, a sales role may include the planning and monitoring of a promotion in a retailer. On top of this, there are also university assignments and apprenticeship documents to complete to deadlines.

During my time in different functions, I have learnt numerous new skills and had the opportunity to develop existing ones. In sales, I learnt the skill of negotiation and put this into practice with a buyer to successfully launch a new product into the retailer. In my category role, I worked a lot with data on how our products were performing in comparison to competitors. This enabled me to develop my analysis skills that I had built at A-Level and translate these to be able to analyze numerical data and suggest improvements.

Overall, I really enjoy the scheme as it allows me to experience multiple roles, which I don't think I would have had the opportunity to do otherwise. This means that I can get a feel for the things I do and don't like and therefore what I want to do in future. However, one element that can be difficult is balancing the day job with the university and apprenticeship work.

On scheme, there are huge amounts of training offered, both relating to the day-to-day tasks as well as wider training that I am able to access through the online learning hub. There is also a good role structure as I know how long I will be in each role before I rotate to another function so can plan my tasks around this.

The support received from the employer has generally been very good but has differed between line managers and their expectations/knowledge of the apprenticeship scheme. I have found that the majority of managers have been accommodating of the university work and allowed time on the job to complete the tasks, however there have been times of less supportive management so I had to be very forward in expressing that I needed the time to do my job well as well as complete university work to a good standard.

I complete the university side with Sheffield Hallam university and have support from the lecturers, course leader and work based learning coach. Most lecturers are more than happy to answer questions via email or even schedule a call to discuss any concerns or feedback points. If I do not understand my feedback received, I reach out to the lectures for more clarification.

Due to the nature of the course and moving roles, sometimes the university assignments do not match up to my day-to-day tasks. For example, I completed the sales and marketing module while i was working in supply chain. Having said this, as the resources are online, I can always refer back to them. There are also a few modules where I am able to choose my topci so can tailor it more specifically to my internists of work.

During my time at Nestle, I have had lots of opportunities to get involved in areas outside of my day job. These include: Visiting a factory Taking part in a tour of a new distribution centre Taken part in a supply chain day, with other apprentices and had the opportunity to meet socially after the event

Yes

I would recommend the Degree Apprenticeship scheme as it allows people to gain real life business experience while studying for a fully funded degree. I would say that there is a strong culture of learning and development at Nestle, which allows me to continually be learning new things and taking on new challenges.

My biggest tip would be to always be yourself through the application process and to be honest and open about any additional requirements that you may need to help you. I would also recommend researching any parts of the application process that you have not experienced before so that you feel comfortable with completing them.