Degree Apprentice - R&D Review

My current role primarily involves working in the pilot plant, working on the development of our current manufacturing processes to be more cost effective and transferrable across the world. I often complete work in the labs to further understand the products made, quantifying their characteristics through microscopy and rheological measurements.

I have been given the opportunity to work in different areas of the company which has greatly developed my ability to work in multi-disciplinary teams. I have improved my ability to present technical information to audiences with a wide range of competency. I have made huge progress in refining my thought process when faced with new challenges, ensuring I have a comprehensive plan before putting it into practice.

The program is very engaging due to the ability to move around different departments every year. This gives you a fresh look at how the business operates from the testing of potential new product technologies, scale up and processing improvements, and large scale production in the factory. Being surrounded by great minds who are eager to help with your development also makes the work environment a much more fun and enjoyable place to be in. University commitments are still required to be fulfilled which can be quite tedious, however, there tends to be good theoretical background knowledge gained at Uni with allow tasks at work to be understood or approached more thoroughly.

This program may not be decades old, but is very well structured due to many departments being welcoming of apprentices as they have observed the impactful work they have done over the past years. When you join a new team there are always great projects which you can get involved in and test your transferability of previously attained skills. The visibility on the next rotation of the programme usually starts a few months before joining the new team so you have plenty of time to encounter them beforehand to learn about the type of work they do.

The employer is always willing to give you time when there are concerns regarding work/uni and they always encourage conversations with project managers to ensure the work being done aligns well with the Degree and competencies required for the Apprenticeship. They are aware of the stress that can come with University and are happy to give you more time towards University (less work responsibilities) when the material starts to increase in difficulty.

The employer encourages us to give regular feedback regarding our experience at University. This is to ensure that the expectations from the University are not sky high and the Degree can be balanced with work. This is because special considerations need made to cater for Apprentices as we are part-time students.

The Degree (BEng Hons Chemical Engineering) covers a lot of important concepts which are required to create a competent Chemical Engineer, however, many of the modules are not practiced in the work environment due to how long the company has been operating for. This means that we do not require to use many learned competencies from the design aspect of the Degree as there already exists calculators to do all of the calculations required when approaching such tasks.

There are plenty of activities which are always advertised on site and via email. There are often many charity walks and initiatives which encourage everyone to participate and engage online. There are also various after work sport clubs which book out an indoor space and arrange teams amongst the people attending.

Yes

There are so many avenues to explore due to the flexibility of moving around the company every year. This gives you a realistic insight on how a large business operates and allows you to make an informed decision on where you want to work in the future. The company is full of enthusiastic people who want to see you develop and become a great engineer and scientist.

Look into the products Unilever makes and look into the processes used to make them. Think about why processes are done in particular ways and what would happen if big changes/issues occurred at different points in the process. Ensure you are aware of the areas of the world Unilever operates in and relate this to the products being marketed there. Be passionate about the science such as the interactions which occur when ingredients mix/react and the methods used to analyse the quality of a product.