Food and drink maintenance engineer Review

For the first two years of the apprenticeship we spend the majority of our time doing planned maintenance on machines throughout the factory. This involves taking machines apart and replacing components once their life-cycle has been reached and then reassembling them, all the while being aware of food hygiene risks. For the remainder of the apprenticeship we move on to shift work where we mainly do reactive maintenance on machines that have failed.

As apart of the apprenticeship you learn new skills and develop existing ones every day. This is true both on site and whilst at college. The college is attended in blocks of varying length and it is where you will learn the foundations on which you build whilst on site. I started with some prior experience, but i am still picking up new things all of the time.

For me the most enjoyable part of the programme is getting hands on and doing maintenance, and luckily at my site they are very willing to let us get stuck in straight away. However, there is also quite a lot of written work to do along side the practical which is to be expected, but i do not really enjoy that side of it.

During my time here, there has been some organisational changes which have lead to some confusion at times, but i believe that it is now back on track and should hopefully stay that way. The issues were more around college and levels of communication whilst there, but on site we have regular meetings to check on progress so that we keep on track

The employer offers as much support as you require, but you will not be spoon fed, you will need to keep on top of everything, and make sure that you receive the support that you need. The help is there you just need to ask for it and show willing.

North west training council are responsible for the majority of the qualification side of the apprenticeship, and we are there for blocks of varying length. Since we go in blocks, it is just like attending any college full time, they will offer a lot of support and ensure that you are OK with everything, but at the same time you are treated like adults.

The qualification and skills that you gain through the training provider (NWTC) is very closely related to the role that you will do at the end of the apprenticeship. This content of the qualification were chosen specifically by food and drink companies to ensure the apprenticeship covers all areas required by the job role.

Since i joined when Covid-19 was a big issue, and still is, social events and clubs have not been as active as usual, however there are options available. There is a social club which allows you to get discounts of certain activities, and of course people sometimes meet up outside of work to go and do activities on their own accord. There are also often opportunities to get involved in apprenticeship events etc. Also, you get 2 days a year which you can take off to volunteer for a cause of your choosing.

Yes

If you are looking to work in the food and drink industry, then Nestle is as good a company as any. I don't think there are any standout reasons for or against, so i would recommend it if this is the line of work you are interested in. I would ensure you are aware of what product the site makes, as this will greatly impact the the nature of jobs you do and the general working conditions ; smells, cleanliness etc.

As long as you have the correct qualifications to apply, and you can show a genuine interest in the role that you apply for then you should be alright. It also helps to know and have an interest in the product produced by the specific site. The whole application can be quite a drawn out and lengthy process, and it may seem daunting at first, but just stick with it and see it through. In my opinion the most important thing is being genuinely interested and being able to show that