Chartered Management Degree Apprentice Review

Currently I am working in supply chain, specifically looking at various projects, including looking at the effects of new Brexit legislation. I talk with colleagues from Nestle in a number of different countries across Europe. Although I am not leading any projects yet, I am still heavily involved and a valued member of the various teams I am working as part of.

Having Started this course in the September after I finished school I have learned a huge amount of new skills in a relativity short time. I have also been able to develop my existing skills (although these were obviously limited due to my lack of experience). The internal development framework means that you can easily keep track of what you want to develop and this is also closely linked with the Uni course.

I do enjoy the program very much. The teams that I have been in so far have consisted of very friendly and welcoming people and the other CMDAs who are on my course at Nestle are also very friendly. It exceeds my expectations in terms of how much I enjoy it however the obvious thing is that I am still working 9-5 Monday to Friday and, although the holiday is generous for such a course I am definitely not partying as much as my friends at Uni full time!

The Nestle Academy, which is essentially the department that recruits and organises all the apprentice and grad schemes in Nestle (a lot), had a couple of weeks introduction then manage our rotations. Every six months we move department and it is down to them what training/ role you will be in. For such a big company this can vary greatly form department to department. My experiences so far have only been positive however there are certain teams in the past that haven't been overly prepared to take on apprentices although these issues have been resolved.

Again I think this depends on which teams you end up in, some are more demanding than others but generally, and certainly from my personal experience, the support had been brilliant. I have had very supportive line managers that have helped me tremendously as well as giving me enough time to do Uni work and other development activities. Most of the team members that I have come across have also been happy to sacrifice time, if I ask, to help me in my day to day role, or just to explain thing to me if I am interested in what they are doing.

I have received all the support I have asked for. We have access to all the same resources that full time students have and, so far, the modal leaders have been happy to offer support outside of our Uni weeks, we go to university in person for one week every two months (on average). There is definitely a delay when asking for feedback when not at Uni, with emails taking up to a couple of weeks to arrive.

It is undoubtedly helpful. The majority of the projects (essays and presentation) are based on the company you work for and therefore forces you to research and talk to more people in Nestle which helps create a better understanding. It is also an environment where you can take back your leanings from university and talk about them with your line manager to discuss what new processes could be implemented into the team etc. The order of the modules however can obviously not be ordered in the same way your rotations are (otherwise everyone would need to be in the same department at once) so not everything is 100% relevant at the time of learning.

There are a large amount of voluntary activities, such as fund raising, mentoring in schools and other things to get involved in at work. Outside of work York is a fantastic city with as much or as little as you want to do.

Yes

I can only really talk about the course that I am on from experience but for me it is one of the best ones in it's class. The sheer size of the company is a huge advantage as it means you can get experience in almost anything that you want and I have found that the quality of the training is second to none. It is a huge opportunity to move through at least four different departments in only three years and experience what it is like to work in a global market leading company. There is also no obligation to stay after you have finished your course.

Focus not on your academic achievements but on extra-curricular activity. One question I was asked at interview was: What do you need from Nestle to Succeed? Think about what you want and what you can offer. They understand if you are coming straight from school with only little work experience so focus on what you feel are your strengths and have proof from school or home.