Supply Chain Apprentice Engineer Review

Training to become a factory engineer at Unilever in Port Sunlight. In the first year a day-to-day basis is going college, covering multiple new skills towards your qualifications and future career. In half terms you visit the factory onsite, there you complete college work and help out. Second year is block release, this is a few weeks at college and a few weeks onsite at the factory. Thirds and four year is mainly full time at the Unilever factories, completing onsite training. In factory there is an engineers workshop, you work on the line and in the stores mainly completing maintenance jobs, you are there to make sure the line is running as efficient as possible. I can't fully comment correctly as I am in first year, so I haven't been introduced to the factory properly.

I have learnt many skills, Unilever go above and beyond for their apprentices. For example, in first year you go to outward bound for team building exercises, this is such a fun week to get to know the other apprentices better. I have visited the headquarters in London for an apprentice only event. They also assign many more topics/assignments to compete than what is needed for the qualifications, so you achieve the best knowledge possible before starting work. They also out you on extra courses whilst doing the apprenticeship with companies like Seamens, so that when it comes to maintenance on the Seamens machines in the factory you are specialised and understand what to do. My confidence, organisation skills and management has developed hugely since I started my apprenticeship.

I love the program I am on with Unilever, I never dread going to work, I enjoy and look forward to training and learning at college, I never look at the time or think the day is passing slowly. My course is very organised at college with a high quality of teaching. Having a 5 year apprenticeship program may seem long but the benefits that come with it make it very with the time. We train for a Level 3 & 4, as well as extra qualifications along side. I am only in my first year so I can not comment on working in the factory, I am looking forward to it.

The college I attend is very structured and organised. They give us usually 2 weeks for a unit to be signed off and completed, so we spend them two weeks with one tutor before changing to a different tutor and a different unit. This is structured for the entire year, I like the way it is organised, it much easier that trying to get different units done at the same time. Unilever also has a separate class to the rest of college, so teaching feels more 1-2-1 than a class due to having a small group. Unilever does have plans for me to do extra courses during my apprenticeship, I haven't come up to these just yet. I think communication between us, college and Unilever managers cold be improved. I don't have a line manager at the moment, I sometimes find it hard knowing who to report to if I ever have any questions, problems or need to book holidays etc. I don't often keep in touch with my Port Sunlight managers, even when its half term and I'm onsite, I mainly only see them at my 8 week reviews. But I couldn't fault the college, they're excellent.

I find this is where Unilever fails with their apprentices. I am in my first year so I'm not onsite at the factory, I go to college instead. I do have a managers at Unilever but we only see them or even just one every 8 weeks at a review with college. They could improve on this and have more interactions between the factories and the apprentices in college. Right now, I only really receive support from college tutors and the head of the college department I am in.

I receive a lot of support from the college, I am there every day. The tutors are good at delivering lessons and helping us with our assignments. I like that the college structures our lessons/units to have 2 weeks to complete and then we move on, instead of doing different assignments all at the same time with one tutor. I have spent 95% of my apprenticeship in college, they're always there to help us. There is the odd one tutor that isnt the best at delivering lessons for assignments, mainly the mathematics tutors. This can sometimes be a problem s if you are behind on a unit after the two weeks, it can be a struggle to catch up, it would be good if there were more regular catch up weeks. The head if the engineering department is excellent at west Cheshire.

I think without my qualifications and college work I would have no clue what I am doing, even just to the basics of how to use the tools correctly, having knowledge of electrics and engineering language can hep day to day work in my role. I still haven't started properly working in the Unilever factories so I can't answer this question properly.

Yes, the apprenticeship program involves a week at outward bound, I have been to the headquarters in London for an apprentice connect event, this is where the apprentice of the year award is presented and there are multiple events like these still to come in my apprenticeship. At work there are classes, like yoga or fitness. The staff area in the main building has pool tables and arcade games, they do promote social activities.

Yes

Unilever is an excellent company to work for, they care for their employees and give a lot for you to be the best you can possibly be. I am doing many qualifications, I've been on trips that have been entirely paid for by Unilever, their pension scheme is brilliant, as well as the shares scheme. Unilever is an interesting company, there are many brands that you can personally relate to, I take much pride that I work at the factory where Unilever initially started. As Unilever is global, there are so many jobs that they offer, so may ways you can work yourself up in the company, you can eve emigrate with full support from them. It seems like with this company there are endless opportunities.

Completely be yourself, at my interview they were so understanding that I was a little nervous, they were more interested in the skills I had and getting to know me better, I didn't even answer ever question they asked. Never doubt yourself when applying or put yourself off it, there may only be a couple of people they're taking on but that could be you! Read a lot about the company, it has a lot of history and any questions you have you should ask.