CMI Apprentice Review

I have the opportunity to be heavily involved in project development, including product launches. I have to have a broad, but well - informed understanding of all of the markets we operate in, gaining understanding of cultural variations which may affect us as a marketing team. My role means that I am always keeping up to date with consumers, their mind set and thought processes in order to develop products and communications which they will use and love. I have a small team, and am in charge of budgets for 4 brands, meaning I have to liaise with finance, marketing, and management on a daily basis. I've been given amazing opportunities to create and launch my own programmes which the entire team can use to help us grow.

I am training to become an accredited Project Manager, so am gaining skills here which can be used in daily business life. I am also encouraged to take part in internal training and workshops, which can range from marketing mentalities to mental and physical wellbeing. My work communications have improved: this includes things such as my email etiquette, my powerpoint story - telling skills and general communications with senior staff.

I love this programme. As someone who went to university for a short period of time, I feel that in the space of 3 months I've learnt more than I did during over a year of university study. I am more culturally and professionally aware. I have a better understanding of the business world, and I have much more faith in corporate companies. It has definitely exceeded my expectations in terms of learning, insights and challenges. I'm even learning from budget sheets!

The CEO himself gets in contact with us for national apprentice week, so he really does value us even from the very top of the company. My manager gives me real jobs which make an impact on our wider team, and trusts me to get tasks done. I am always encouraged and shown appreciation for the work I carry out. I've been heavily involved in projects and understanding them from day 1, and so I feel that I am valued within my team.

The programme itself is quite good. It's overwhelming to have to juggle coursework and a day job. The training provider for this particular course isn't the best at communicating, and it can take a while to hear back from people. I don't feel particularly valued or attended to by the internal Unilever Apprenticeship Delivery Team. It can be a struggle to get a reply to emails, although they were incredibly attentive and supportive through the actual recruitment process.

My training provider is attentive in terms of the support they provide. We have webinars, study guides and printed presentations / other resources to help us along the way. They've been good at setting up meetings, although because they're not that often, they can often be very packed with information. They are however very accessible and have a great attitude to supporting us through the qualification. They've all done the qualification themselves, so they know what it's like.

There are weekly meetings - either face to face or via phone / email. This means that they're always aware of my day to day responsibilities, and they can support me. They're really responsive to holiday / sickness requests. They provide plenty of guidance on how to deal with common issues / concerns. They're super thorough, and really do want to make sure you're getting the most out of the experience.

The salary easily meets my costs. It easily covers my monthly travelcard, my food shops. I also pay a very small amount of rent, which this does cover, although it probably would be very difficult to squeeze in the average London living cost. There's always plenty of money left over for shopping and socialising! I don't struggle generally, and I'm not particularly frugal. We also get flexi hours and can work from home pretty often.

There are plenty of opportunities to take part in team days, competitions etc. We can be apprentice ambassadors, which is a great outreach / community opportunity to raise awareness of the scheme. We get access to the gym for free, including exercise classes. This has really helped with my general health and positive mentality.

Yes

It's a great company. There are lots of benefits, including free ice cream every day!!!! We get free gym membership, lots of recognition for our work & we get great exposure to daily business operations. There are big and small changes and challenges happening every single day, you could be involved in the restructure of the entire company one day, and then have a problem with ordering pens the next. It's always changing, always challenging and genuinely interesting.

I would say be really prepared in terms of knowing your stuff about the history and operation of the company. It's a complex business and operates multinationally which can be hard to get to grips with. Assessment centres are more relaxed than you think. I left worried that I was TOO relaxed and in reality, being myself and reacting naturally to the demands of the day is probably what got me the job in the end. Be prepared to be thrown into the deep end if you do get a place on the scheme, and don't be afraid to ask questions and get things wrong.