It’s National Apprenticeship Week and we’re delighted to share insights from Molly who is studying a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship at Kingston College and is employed by Unilever as a Customer Account Manager within the Homecare Division.
“Before starting the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship in September, I was at 6th form studying for my A Levels whilst also balancing a part time job at Waitrose. Balancing education and work gave me the foundation and desire to continue studying and working simultaneously in the form of a Degree Apprenticeship.
“The application and interview process for Degree Apprenticeships can be quite intense. From initial application, psychometric testing, online interviews, assessment centres and then finally an outcome of application. The average acceptance rate for a DA is 0.7%, therefore I applied to a few companies and received multiple offers. The application process was similar across the board.
“I have been a Unilever Degree Apprentice for 5 months now and the skills I have acquired are endless, from public speaking, presenting internally and externally, to developing my analytical skills. However, I think the skill I have developed the most would be my quantitative reasoning and numerical ability. Within my role I have to interpret sales data as well as understand and present forecasts, which I wasn't very confident with 5 months ago but since starting my Apprenticeship I have really worked on that skill and feel far more confident in it and I am even leading weekly numbers calls!
“The most enjoyable part of my role is the vast amount of people I get to engage with daily, across all functions in the business from supply chain to marketing as well as externally to customers. It means no day in the role is ever the same, keeping my job versatile. I also thoroughly enjoy presenting internally and externally and attending customer meetings. Unilever is a very people focused business thus I find interacting with these individuals the most enjoyable part of my role.”
Image on main News page is Molly attending an Outreach event at a school 6th form.
