How did you end up in this job?

I completed my A-levels and decided uni wasn’t for me right now as I was unsure on the career path I really wanted. I decided to go down the apprenticeship route and applied for a 1 year, level 2 business administration apprenticeship at a local materials handling company. I felt this course left my options open until I decided on the right career for me. I worked there for 4 years and found a love for a fast pace challenging environment working with a wide variety of colleagues and customers. As my positions and responsibilities advanced and grew I felt I had come to a dead end with no options to challenge myself further. The time I had spent here made me realise I wanted to pursue management with a job that split its time between an office and the production area. This is when I saw the advert for the manufacturing management degree apprenticeship at Heineken. I immediately applied, knowing that this was a great way to push forward in my career, challenging myself in a company with endless development opportunities.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of pursuing this career?

If you’re thinking of pursuing a career in management within the food and drink industry, my advice would be to go for it! Look into what options are available to you to get your foot into the door, whether that is applying for an operator position, apprenticeship or graduate scheme, there is a route into industry to suit everyone. If you can get yourself some work experience, even if that is just a weekend job in your local Café, any experience will help your application!

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is working with such experienced colleagues. I love building relationships with colleagues across the company, each one has different knowledge they can share with me, whether that is work knowledge or general like knowledge, and I hope I have knowledge I can share with them too.

What was your starting salary?

My starting salary was £18,900, with annual increases to £26,800 by the 4th year of my apprenticeship.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

In 5 years time I would like to have successfully completed my apprenticeship and degree, I hope to still be working for Heineken in a position where I am managing people. I have ambitions to be in a senior management position in the next 10 years or my career, hoping to see more women entering the industry and working there way up to those more senior roles where at current men are the dominating demographic.