• What does an operational apprentice do?

An operational apprentice at Mars Petcare will spend 3 years learning the fundementals of food production as well as learning to run areas of the factory before becomming a full-time operator, running the line, performing safety and quality checks, and working to continously improve the process. We currently get our training from an external provider who comes onto site every 2 weeks, they do training sessions and set us assignments in order to prepare us for the end point assessment and our future lead operator role.

• How did i end up in this role?

Throughout school I was unsure of what I wanted for my career, during my GCSEs and A-levels I just picked subjects that I enjoyed and didnt really have a plan. Because I was unsure I knew it was best not to go to university as it is a big comitment, so I looked into apprenticeships. I've had family work for Mars in the past and had heard very good things about the company, and so I applied despite not really being sure what the apprenticeship entailed. After a year of being in the role I can confidently say i made a good decision.

• Where do i see myself in 5 years time?

In 5 years time I hope to be in a production supervisor role. This will take a lot of hardwork but i do believe it is possible. Mars are extremely supportive and encourage people to take their careers as far as possible, and with this support I should be able to push myself to progress to a role like production supivisor or team leader.

• What was my starting salary? Has my salary changed since then?

When I started my apprenticeship I was on about £14,000, however since then all apprenticeships have had a salary increase, the starting salary is now about £18,000. Every year you will experience a salary increase of about £2,000, which is not affected by plant or personal performance.

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

If you're considering going down this career path, I would highly recommend it. There are so many opportunities that stem from operations, almost anyone that joins the industry could find a job that they're passionate about. The best bit of advice I could give to be succesful in this role would be to show that you're driven and find ways to step out of your comfort zone by taking initiative and excelling where you can.