To mark National Apprenticeship Week, a worker at Cumbria’s Nestle plant has been sharing how he got his (coffee) break with the firm.
Cameron Sealby, 19, is a manufacturing apprentice at the Dalston factory.
The former pupil of The Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton, said: “When I was leaving sixth form, there was a lot of emphasis on leavers continuing into higher education, but it didn’t really sit right with me. After speaking with a careers advisor, I found that my interests were aligned with more hands-on experience.”
Cameron is combining practical experience with continuing his education as he works towards a Level 3 food manufacturing diploma.
In his role, Cameron supports operators across the factory, keeping things running smoothly. Bosses at Nestle said he had made a real impact, and his skills had developed so that now, rather than just seeing a problem and fixing it, he can predict issues before they arise and put measures in place to prevent them from happening.
The Dalston factory employs around 300 people and makes some of Nestlé and Starbucks best loved coffee products that people use at home, including the Nescafé Gold Frothy Coffee, Nescafé Latte and Nescafé Azera Cappuccino, as well as the Starbucks Toffee Nut Latte.
Cameron shared details of one of his biggest challenges he’s faced at Nestlé far: “One time, we had a machine calibration issue which ran the risk of wasting ingredients and ultimately losing money for the company. I was able to quickly address the issue and take steps to ensure it wouldn’t happen again, making sure we could keep an accurate eye on operations and keep the team’s blood pressure down!”
As for deciding to pursue an apprenticeship over going to university, Cameron has no regrets.
He said: “For me, an apprenticeship has meant the chance to continue my own personal development, while also being able to gain hands-on experience. It’s the opportunity to work beyond education and earn money while still being able to expand your knowledge.
“For anyone looking to challenge themselves beyond test scores, an apprenticeship is a chance to stretch yourself and really get a feel for the working world.”
