Chartered Manager Degree Apprentice Review

CMDA scheme is split around four 6 month rotations. Marketing - Excellent role working in a brand team, tracking brand performance, leading innovation projects, budget control, some operational work with raising quotes and phasing budgets. Supply Chain - Extremely operational and not commercial focused, 2nd year roles are better but first year lets it down. Sales, 2nd year role much better than first, Sales planning is heavily operational with excel day to day. CBM role is much more abstract with most days being different. CDT - Heavily role dependant, some roles heavy operational and some abstract, overall a decent function but one you dont want first.

Time management, leadership, working in large teams, understanding stakeholders. Many skills are learned naturally but the business also has an incredible amount of internal training material which is high quality and tailored to Nestle. The business very heavily encourages putting yourself out there to develop yourself as much as possible.

Overall I really like the Scheme, but that comes with getting fairly lucky with the rotations I was given. Having heavy operational/sc roles in your first placement is straight up not as enjoyable or developing. There is a danger you have a bad first role and think thats representative of the whole thing which is not the case. I think the programme is excellent in principle and I have enjoyed it immensely, but it just needs a few more tweaks.

Very heavily structured. Set 6 month rotations which are very well organised by Nestle academy,function champions and heads of department. 6 month rotations are annoying as by the time youre really into it and become an expert you have to move and start all over again. 9 months might be better but I appreciate the advantage you get to try all over the business.

Cant complain about support, the company culture is extremely impressive with a very open and here to help employee mindset. Internal traning, external talks. the nestle academy etc. If you're struggling with a part of your role or dont like it, you can raise it and the business will be as flexible as can be to plug a gap or change things.

Apart from Supply chain 1st year roles. All managers have been excellent around 20% off the job learning from what I hear. After our uni weeks we used to have someone from nestle speak to contextualise what we learned, but this has dropped off now I think of it. All managers/emplyees are happy to advise with any uni work you have if you need some pointers.

Pretty much not at all. The theory you learn at university has almost no application in the workplace. Its very much just getting a degree because you want to get the qualification to stay hireable. This isnt necessarily Nestles fault, its probably just the reality of university courses. At best you will remember some abstract scenario that you might remember. If I was paying for that university course I would have dropped out and asked for a refund. Real life business is just not like academic theory tells you, and nestle has its own theoretical framworks you can learn which are actually interesting and helpful.

Not really, but its been COVID since I joined so take it with a pinch of salt. Theres been a few online bits to meet others, but really its something you need to take initiative on yourself

Yes

At the end of the day, despite its problems, the Nestle apprentice scheme is genuinely one of the best out there. The roles have a high degree of responsibility, especially after your first year. Your friends may look down on you in the head because of the uni, but a degree is a degree and nestle dont care where its from. Once you finish the scheme you will be in the top 1% of grad scheme applicants since you have 3 years experience across all functions with a degree, connections, and no debt. The first year roles can be a bit meh sometimes but youve just come out of school so its fair enough. beyond that I dont have any serious complaints. And the complaints apprentices have are taken seriously and actioned. eg Nestle are now looking at changing 1st year roles.

Its not about what you've done (to a point), its about who you are as a person. Realistically anyone can learn how to do a good job at nestle, but how you go about doing it is what the company cares about and what gives such a good culture. If you get to an AC, read up on Strength based interviews and make sure you have examples in your head, you can even make them up it doesnt matter. Its obvious if you havnt read up on the company so read the annual report, shared value report. you dont need to know how many employees we have or any of those general facts, we dont know either. Assessors dont want to catch you out or make things difficult, they want the best out of you they can get. Read up on force for good specifically, despite its constant slating by the media about nestles past (fair), the company is now one of the most moral and ethical in the FMCG industry and has a large number of initiatives to hellp the planet and keep life sustainable. Its not perfect and yes big company bad and all, but interally most actions come back to force for good so bring it up.