Product Development Apprentice Technologist Review

I work on developing new and existing products for Premier brands, often working with other functions to deliver projects. Development work includes working with recipes to achieve the flavour and other properties stated in a brief within costing targets. I also support the rest of the department by working on peripheral teams like the safety team.

Since starting my apprenticeship, I have grown a lot as a person and developed a lot of soft skills like communication, time-management, and my general confidence. I have also learnt role-specific skills such as learning how to use various software to create recipes and nutritional data. I have had the opportunity to learn multiple food processing technologies so far too.

I really enjoy my apprenticeship. I get the opportunity to learn about the wider business through requirements of my university course, while being treated like any other member of the team. It is certainly a challenge to manage work and university, with lots to learn on both sides, but I think I will be more rounded in my job because of this.

The course is well structured and has a nice routine to it, although it can be difficult to manage some if the work we are given as we are often busy with our day-to-day work. I think the apprenticeship would benefit from employers and the university working more closely to deliver a combined experience as sometimes it feels like a job with a uni course on the side, rather than a cohesive programme.

Overall, the company is very supportive. I have yet to come across anyone who is unwilling to help me out, whether it be 'work-work' or university work - everyone has been very helpful. However, I would appreciate more communication around apprentices at work and opportunities for extra activities such as site visits and rotations. The site has only taken on a few apprentices recently and seems willing to adapt to their needs - so I believe things will improve as the site becomes more experienced.

The university have been great with supporting me with my academic work. Lecturers are on the whole very engaging and share relatable past work experiences to make the academia easier to apply to my role. Feedback on assignments is also really good, I have regular catch-ups with one of my tutor who gives good advice on how to develop my skills to get the most out of my course.

My course is a fairly broad food technical degree. This means I get to see a lot at university that I don't see at work. This is great for me as I love to see the whole picture of how things work. Through the breadth of my degree, I have a greater understanding of how my company works, and the differences and similarities to other food companies. I simply don't think this would be the case without going through this course.

There aren't any that I am aware of. Although there are usually themed events going on in R&D for Christmas, Easter etc. These are run by the placement students and are normally used to raise money for charity partners, so are great to be involved in. I would love to see more emphasis on social and professional networking events though.

Yes

There is so much to learn across different brands and food technologies from very experienced colleagues who are always happy to help. The site is safe and friendly and has a great feel. There is also a clear willingness from leadership to improve - for example moving to hybrid working throughout covid

Apply to anything you are drawn to! Be yourself and make the most of the application process. I applied to 2 different apprenticeships at Premier and was supported in that decision and was guided to the role that suited me best. Premier Foods is a great company to work for