Digital Marketing apprentice Review

I work in a Global marketing team for Unilever, specifically the Domestos brand which is a well established toilet cleaner. Being part of the Global team means I work a lot on strategy and implementation. I also work on being a link between the global team and local markets. I have projects involved across the brand - one focussing on Domestos' purpose, an innovation project and also work on digital assets for the brand.

I have learnt many new skills and also developed current skills through both my work placement at Unilever and also through my university. At University I am working towards a full degree in digital marketing and my different modules help me to learnt the theory behind solving problems and get a broad sense of learning. Working for Unilever helps me to put the theory into action and also help me to develop communication skills and real life workplace experience.

I love having the balance between both working and also going to university. A huge benefit is that I'll graduate with no student debt, and also have 3 years experience working for one of the largest FMCG. Having grown up in the South West I also loved moving to London and working in central London.

We are the first year to do a digital marketing degree apprenticeship at Unilever so at the start there was a few issues and confusion, especially when starting at the university and enrolling. I now believe this won't be an issue going forward. Regarding my workplace - my team are very supportive of me and understand my learning outcomes so help me to not only do my job but also learn about Unilever from a wider context as well.

I receive a lot of support from my employer. Working for such a huge company there is many support systems in place that can help and assist with a lot of problems. I also receive support personally from my team and have weekly catch ups with the 3 different areas I work in.

Every Thursday I attend London South Bank University to complete my university degree. This consists of 2 modules with one being taught in the morning and one in the afternoon. As we attend the university the support system is established and in place. Lectures are always on hand to answer any questions and there's the right support staff to help with any problems.

I think my degree doesn't necessarily have a tangible link to my specific role but it helps with all the background learning and also helps me to not always think about my brand/market but also think outside Unilever and different markets. Studying marketing at university is difficult to relate to a specific job but there's certainly strong tangible links that can be extrapolated from both my degree and my role.

Yes - there's many different groups, teams and activities to take part in. We would have team days where we would spend a day out of the office and we'd often have sports activities between the Home care category which I'd take part in. There was often networking events both organised by Unilever and also by some of our partners that I would attend (pre covid-19 times).

Yes

Unilever is a huge company that has such an amazing work culture and opportunities for you to learn and progress personally. The job is fun and rewarding and as a company always puts its employees ahead of everything else. This has particularly been shown in the current pandemic. Another benefit when in the office is the free ice cream (this includes Ben and Jerries' and Magnum - to name a few)!!

My biggest tip would be to GO FOR IT! There's no harm in applying for it in the first place. I applied for other degree apprenticeships before Unilever with no interest in the company whatsoever. I encourage you to get experience going through all the different rounds - e.g - interviews, exams, application forms, assessment centres etc....These schemes can be extremely competitive and personally I went through 5/6 assessment centres at other companies before I got accepted with Unilever. The more you do, the more you become comfortable and thus can perform better for your dream company at the assessment centre.