R&D Apprentice Review

This relates to my secondment in Lipton Teas & Infusions during my apprenticeship. I blend tea leaves and look for tea in store rooms. I then blend the teas so that people can taste them and compare them against competitor products to try and make the best tasting tea. I also pack tea samples from tea plantations to send for analysis.

I've learned to deal with high stress situations and about using various descriptors to describe tea products. Also lead a couple of projects and had the chance to design experiments to investigate new technologies. In a high paced environment I learned to adapt quickly and prioritise workload effectively to get high priority tasks done.

I enjoy my program as a whole but the tea side of things less so. As a whole they are very supportive of apprentices and try and help you complete any university assignments. I'd say the support network is the best thing here and they are looking for opportunities to help you develop.

It is very structured and well organised. It starts with a 2 year rotation in one department followed by subsequent 1 year rotations until the scheme is over. This allows for experience in different areas and department of the business giving you a good understanding of how the business runs.

My managers have been extremely supportive throughout the scheme as has my apprentice coordinator. They look for ways to support on uni assignments if needed and find work opportunities to help with university progression and apply what is learnt at university to work. No issues either with having 20% time for learning.

I receive plenty of support from my training provider. They give lectures during block release weeks and provide the lecture material online along with supporting material if we want to learn further and we also have access to the library. Only had a problem with one lecturer who is very slow at responding to emails and sometimes doesn't turn up to meetings.

It definitely helps. Sometimes I begin to understand my work better or the importance of certain tasks from my university studies which is really interesting to see. I enjoy understanding other aspects of the food business which don't always seem directly relevant such as legal and quality assurance to then see why it matters so much in the food industry.

There are lots of activities to get involved with at work although I don't do many of them. Some of these activities include going to the gym, yoga, football and more. We also tend to have a group where we organise lots of activities to do outside of work such as paddleboarding.

Yes

The company is good values and many of the people there are really friendly and supportive and I've really enjoyed my time there. They are looking for opportunities to excel you and really want you to find a role during the apprenticeship which feels like where you belong so you can do well there.

Cliche, but be yourself. Also don't forget to research the company beforehand so you have a basic understanding of Unilever. Be expressive about what your interests are and what you're hoping to get out of the apprenticeship. Make sure you have an idea of questions you want to ask too.