Chemical Engineering apprentice Review

by Unilever

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

8.5/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

As an apprentice I rotate roles once a year. This gives apprentices the opportunity to experience 5 different roles in the company as a chemical engineer and helps with deciding what work you enjoy. I have worked in Science & Technology, Factories, Process Science, Global Engineering and Processing. My role is primarily developing new products with focus on scale up from lab scale to factory.

10/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

I have learnt lots of new skills, time management, people skills, as well as 4 years worth of on the job experience. The apprenticeship requires balancing of university/work commitments and good communication with line management to provide transparency on university commitments.

9/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I have recently graduated from the apprenticeship and have recommended it to anyone who asks. I cant imagine having done a full time degree over an apprenticeship and am overall very happy with my decision. It is however challenging to balance work and university.

10/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

The programme as a whole is fairly well structured, The university aspect could be more tailored to apprentices as the programme I completed with the University of Chester was a full time degree which wasn't very flexible around work commitments - the timetabling had lectures scheduled on more than my allotted university time each week. The end point assessment could have been better organised too.

6/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

I receive lots of support from my employer, being surrounded by chemical engineers and recent graduates was very useful to ask questions about the degree. My employer has been flexible in allowing me as much time as reasonably required to complete university work and have been very approachable with any questions i have had.

10/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

I received a similar amount of support from Chester as a full time student.

8/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

6/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

yes there are lots of sports clubs as well as many others, we have an apprentice community of practice where we hold social events and provide support to younger apprentices.

9/10

9a. Would you recommend Unilever to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

The work is very enjoyable and flexible around what you enjoy - you are able to influence your rotations into different departments.

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Unilever?

Balancing an apprenticeship isn't easy - it can be stressful at times. Time management is a handy skill to have and develop. Doing an apprenticeship with Unilever allows you to develop lots of skills whilst making an impact to the business.