Hear from Abi, on her first week on her degree apprenticeship at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

My first week at CCEP

I began my apprenticeship in the middle of the pandemic, so one of the highlights – as mundane as it may seem in normal times – was actually visiting the head office for the first time to collect supplies. It made the whole experience become "real".  Also visiting the Sidcup site for the first time was a big highlight for me. Not only because I got to wear the lovely orange uniform, but also I finally had the chance to meet some of my team I had been speaking to for weeks on Skype! I joined CCEP in a cohort of 11 other apprentices ,in total 53 of my apprentice colleagues are on a scheme here at CCEP. I have started CCEP's first degree apprenticeship, the Food Technology Degree programme.

 

Expectation vs. experience

I had no idea what to expect as this was my first full time job! However, my first few weeks were full of introductions, training, and shadowing, so it wasn't long before I felt part of the team and my worries about lack of experience melted away.

 

Building relationships and knowledge across the business

I was eager to meet new people, learn new skills and visit new places. It was an exciting prospect to be working for the first time in an industry I found interesting, and I was looking forward to developing my knowledge.

 

From induction to orientation and training

I had many different types of training, from manual handling to cyber security. This training carried on in person at the Sidcup site as well. Even now I learn something new every day, either through on-going training, or picking up knowledge from my colleagues on the job.

 

The level of support for apprentices

My mentor Liz has been with me from day one and has been fantastic in supporting me on a professional and personal level. We were also introduced to other apprentices from early on – it was great to be able to speak to others in a similar position. The whole team has been very welcoming, even after my short time here, I feel I could reach out to anyone for help. All the team socials might have helped with that!