CD Finance Apprentice Review
at Unilever
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Accounting
Leatherhead
Review Submitted: May 2023
Overall Rating
3.4 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
3/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
3/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
3/5
A daily task I do is the Billing Block and send this to members of my team so that they can complete the DSR - Daily Sales Report. I create Performance Decks for several customer such as, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Ocado and loads others. In this deck theres useful information for my colleagues to present and give key insight in how our products are doing and overall performance.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
3/5
I wish we had more days out however that could be due to the fact that I'm doing an apprenticeship in finance. I do enjoy it however as the team Im in is amazing. I had a few issues at the start with Kaplan and being put on the wrong course and there wasnt any compensation in terms of added time and there was no responsibility taken on from the person who put me on the wrong course.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
Yes, my excel skills have vastly improved due to how much I now have to use it. The biggest skill Ive developed but also still needs working is communicating with others, in this job you have to be able to communicate as most pieces of work is reliant on others performing, if you cant articulate where you are in terms of how close to finishing some work or what youre doing. It can make work a bit more difficult.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
2/5
Unilever is well structured or at least my team and the way we communicate is done well. In terms of Kaplan, I was put on the wrong course and only after 2/3 months of being on the wrong course did I spot that I wasnt meant to be on this particular course. I got the blame for this, I didnt get access to any of the right materials either until late December or early January such as the videos and obviously didnt have a tutor since my talent coach put me on the wrong course. The course started in September, the talent coach didnt make me weary or my line manager about the mistake so had to work around this. I failed that exam a few times which knocked confidence and was still expected to take the exam within the limit of other who didnt have this inconvenience.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
My employer is incredibly helpful, theyre understanding and have made me feel comfortable to speak about most things. I definitely feel like I have someone to speak to if I ever need something or to get off my chest. Sometimes can take a little while to get back to you regarding an email but other than that really good.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
2/5
As said before, I was put on the wrong course from them and didnt receive any added time compensation. They didn't explain the situation to my line manager and therefore gave me a bad impression. They have now gone on to say that this issue didn't occur when I have evidence of this as they have accepted a diary entry which had me mentioning revising for BA1, when I was in fact meant to be doing BA2. At first I thought they were supportive however now if I have an issue I'd rather speak to Manpower, my line manager or speak to another apprentice that's doing what I'm doing.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
There are a few things that I do use and can relate to however the role I do at Unilever doesn't overly help me with qualification. I do however still have 3 exams to do so I'm not grounded enough to know if this qualification will help me more with my role.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
Yes there's loads of events and activities happening, chances to win prizes as well and so many added benefits. The only issue I have is that due to the team that I'm in, we don't have many work away days but as I said, there's loads of opportunities to do.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Unilever to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Yes but I wouldn't just leave it as that. I'd tell them about my experience to make sure that it goes well for them. This experience for me has been a huge learning curve and not just when it comes to the qualification, I've learnt a lot about myself.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Unilever?
Make sure to communicate well with your team and make sure they know what you're doing. Be kind to everyone as you never know who you'll be working with next. Stay positive as a lot happens here so taking everything in a positive note helps make work more enjoyable and finally work close with your team.
