PR & Media Apprentice Review

As a PR & Media apprentice, I worked with various stakeholders to manage all UKI requests for permission to use our brands in TV programmes, books and ad hoc opportunities. I also share daily updates with brand teams to share any particularly positive or negative coverage in newspapers, magazines or broadcasts about our brands, which we receive from our media monitoring service. As well as this I work with the PR and Media team to highlight media team achievements to internal audiences via case studies, news stories and newsletters.

Over the 18 months, I definitely learnt a lot from my apprenticeship and have grown in confidence. My communication skills, both verbal and written has improved enormously; this was particularly important in my role as I interacted with consumers, journalists/media and fellow colleagues, all of which I need to communicate with slightly differently. I have also further developed my skills in Microsoft Outlook, PowerPoint, Word and especially Excel; this is due to the training sessions provided by Unilever.

The experiences I've had at Unilever so far have gone above and beyond my expectations. Working across all brands has given me the opportunity to really broaden my knowledge on all of them through the variety of meetings and events I attend. These have also been a great opportunity to meet and network with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

I do feel greatly valued by Unilever as I receive good feedback from fellow colleagues that I've worked with or assisted in some way. As well as this, over the 18 months I was gradually been given more responsibility and offered a position at the end of my apprenticeship which reflects that I am valued by my team and Unilever.

I feel that my apprenticeship is organised well. I had monthly catch-ups with my assessor to discuss my progress; coursework I've submitted and any improvements that can be made and any problems I'm facing with both my coursework and in my job. I also had catch-ups with my line manager at the start of each week which were very useful to catching up on any on-going tasks or anything that we need to discuss; these are great as they gave structure to my week and help me identify what I should be focusing on.

I received a good amount of support from my training provider. I had monthly meetings with my assessor which I think is the perfect frequency. Within these sessions we discussed my progress so far, any coursework I've submitted and any problems I may be facing. We would also agree on an action plan for the following month to ensure that I stay on track with my coursework so that I complete it by the end of my programme. My assessor is also willing to assist between our meetings over the phone or email.

I received a great amount of support from my employer. I had catch-ups with my line manager at the start of each week which are very useful on catching up on any on-going tasks or anything that we need to discuss; these are great as they give structure to my week and help me identify what I should be focusing on. Within these we also discuss my apprenticeship coursework so that my manager can ensure that I'm also making good progress on this. Unilever have also provided training sessions for different software that I use on a day-to-day basis so have great relevance.

My salary does meet my monthly costs.

There are many great opportunities out of work, one of them being Unilever's annual volunteer day. On this day everyone in our office, has to volunteer to work/assist at a site that's in need of help. In 2014, I volunteered at a local youth centre that was in desperate need of some decorating; this was found and organised by Unilever. I have also had the great opportunity of doing a two week placement at one of our PR agency's which was an invaluable experience. This was organised by my line-manager to give me a better idea of what it's like working in an agency, if I wished to do so in the future.

Yes

With Unilever being one of the biggest FMCG companies globally, I can't think of a better company to start my career in. It's given me many great opportunities and amazing experiences so far. I'm excited to see what the next 9 months will bring. This has been a great alternative to University and has justified my choice of doing an apprenticeship instead.

Despite it being quite a lengthy recruitment process, make sure you stick it at it as it's all worth it in the end!