Data Science Degree Apprentice Review
at Unilever
Degree Apprenticeship
Data Analysis
Port Sunlight
Review Submitted: April 2025
Overall Rating
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!
4/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
4/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
On a day-to-day basis I am working primarily as a Data Engineer. This will usually involve a couple Daily Standup Up meetings, depending on how many teams I am working with. I am solely responsible for a couple features on projects so I usually update the status of those in those meetings. After the meetings it is usually just head down and getting my work done.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I am really enjoying my programme, there are a lot of other apprentices so we are able to get to know each other and help each other with things we are stuck on. Whether that be from work or from University. On top of that, I always get enough time away from work for my University lectures/assignments.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
While I have definitely gained the technical skills required to do my job as a Data Engineer, the more important skills are the ones that cannot be learned form a book/website etc. Such as speaking in meetings, knowing who your audience is and adjusting how you approach your explanations etc.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
I would say it is well organised to an extent. However, when I first joined, I was shown a plan of my apprenticeship, with rotations happening yearly. This has not really come to fruition and it can be a struggle to find Data Science work to do, which is what my apprenticeship is
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
My employer offers a lot of support. Always giving the necessary time-off for University and allows you to take the whole week before exams as a study week, which not all employers do according to some of the other people on my course. They are also happy to help on any of the admin side of the apprenticeship.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
My training provider offers some support such as having office hours were you can reach out for any help. However, these office hours are typically during work hours (understandably). This is when I would not be working on university projects and instead be focusing on my work projects. I have often had to end up teaching myself certain topics due to the quality of the online lectures.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
I do not think that the qualification is related too much to what I do at work. I view them as quite separate. However, a lot of the transferable skills such as time management (from having to juggle all the deadlines at university) has also helped me in the workplace
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, these sorts of activities usually get posted on the boards in office, or on the companies portal for people to discover. Social activities are not arranged too often and it would be nice to have them more frequently, however this is not a major issue and they are always enjoyable!
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Unilever to a friend?
Yes
Why?
It is a big company with a lot of good benefits. They are also very flexible with work hours (e.g. if you work late on one day, you can finish early the next). It offers pretty good job security as you know the company is not going anywhere anytime soon.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Unilever?
Make sure you look into Unilever and understand its values and purpose as this comes up in the interview. I would also do some research into what your role could typically involve so you can be prepared for the interview and also so you can make sure that what you are applying for is right for you.
