Making apprenticeships pay off with Nestlé confectionery
With national apprenticeship week in the UK aiming to drive job opportunities for young talent across a number of sectors, Confectionery Production speaks to one success story, Keisha Wilson, progressing through Nestlé’s internal scheme, reports Neill Barston.
For many young people exploring higher education opportunities can potentially represent a daunting prospect, with university fees around £10,000 a year and rising for many locations in Britain.
Consequently, apprenticeships are increasingly seen as a viable route for career progression without the financial pain, and while far from a new concept, a new generation is making the most of the opportunities.
Alongside her day-to-day role, Keisha has had the opportunity to learn all about sustainability and gain skills in an area which is high on the Government’s agenda, through Nestlé’s extracurricular workstream ‘One World’.
Q: You have been learning sustainability skills through Nestle’s One World scheme, how has that gone?
A: “It’s been amazing to get involved with something I’m really passionate about with the support of Nestlé. I’m a part of our ‘One World’ sustainability group, which has helped me to gain knowledge and green skills that I can take into my future career.
“We get to put events on internally for colleagues across the business, aimed at inspiring and educating them on the topic. It’s been nice to get my teeth stuck into a subject matter that is at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the moment, and to know that what I’ve been doing has had a positive impact.”
Q: One of your highlights has been ‘reverse mentoring’ – can you tell us more?
A: “The reverse mentoring programme involves setting up talking sessions with senior colleagues on topics of interest to us both, such as sustainability or social issues. “As they can often be very busy in their roles, we get to share our knowledge and experience of the chosen issue. The aim is to provide them with a different and diverse perspective, so they can then take this into consideration in their work. The great thing is that I think does make a real difference.”
Q: As part of your role, you have been experiencing different aspects of the company. How have you found that?
A: “Moving through the different parts of the organisation has been great as you get such a varied experience. You get to really find out where you might have any knowledge or skills gaps and find where your true passion points are.”
Q: How difficult was it to decide between university and an apprenticeship?
A: “While my school encouraged students to apply for Oxbridge or Russell Group universities as the traditional next step, we also had a separate student group to support those who were thinking of applying for apprenticeships. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I ended up joining both groups to find out what would appeal to me the most.”
“Many people who’d done apprenticeships themselves said that I would thank myself later as I wouldn’t have any student debt. I wanted that peace of mind and I’m so grateful I did that now.” “I was overjoyed when I was successful with my application to Nestlé’s apprenticeship scheme. Getting to work with household names like KitKat really excited me and it was the best decision to take the plunge!”
Q: You’re now a careers ambassador for the company – how have you found the world of work overall, being based in York?
A:“There were so many people there who were the same age as me. We were all starting out on our apprenticeships and experienced the same day one nerves. We got to know each other right from the start which made the experience a whole less daunting. Every now and again, I’ll see someone from my first day and have a good catch up with them. It’s so nice to see how and where we’ve ended up at Nestlé.”