A young apprentice at the Nestlé Cereal Partners site in Staverton has shared the ingredients for success for those thinking about an apprenticeship.

Since joining Nestlé as an apprentice in October 2021, Tim Salkeld has worked with some of the country’s most popular breakfast cereals, including the likes of Shredded Wheat and Shreddies.

His apprenticeship involved placements across different areas of the business, including quality control, manufacturing excellence and health and safety.

Tim said: “It’s really interesting taking a look behind the scenes at how household favourites like Shreddies and Shredded Wheat are made and to see all the different steps involved.”

Tim is particularly proud of the role he played in completely revamping the auditing system at the Staverton factory, which is essential to quality assurance.

He helped move all the data collected by the quality assurance team to a digital system, with photographs and QR codes to make everything easier to navigate.

“The feedback from the team was really positive, and it was great to know I’d made a real difference,” he said.

Tim didn’t have a clear idea of what he wanted to do after finishing college but knew that he would be best suited to something hands-on, which is why an apprenticeship seemed like a good fit.

“The Food and Drink Technical Operations apprenticeship at Nestlé gave me the opportunity to work at a major company and get exposure to all areas of the business so I could discover what I enjoyed the most while doing practical work.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet and learn from so many different people and picked up loads of knowledge from working with them,” he said.

As well as developing a range of new practical skills, Tim credits the apprenticeship with growing his confidence. He says he now feels comfortable presenting and speaking in meetings and has led meetings with more senior members of the business.

Tim completed his apprenticeship course in October 2023, and has now taken up a specialist role in health and safety support at Nestlé Cereal Partners.

“During my apprenticeship I realised I particularly enjoyed working with data and problem-solving, and the health and safety support role stood out for me.”

He’s about to start work on a new Occupational Health and Safety qualification and is excited about the new opportunities this will open up.

“There are still lots of opportunities to develop new skills and the business is really supportive if you want to try something new."