Packaging Degree Apprenticeship

Summary

This is an opportunity to gain comprehensive experience across various departments of a well-established, globally recognised flexible packaging company. The goal is to understand and deliver the customer’s needs, manufacturing processes, and global legislative requirements.

Wage: £23,000 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Training course: Packaging professional (integrated degree) (level 6)
Hours: 09.00 to 17.15 Monday to Friday. Occasional additional hours if travel required.
38 hours 45 minutes a week
Possible start date: Monday 1 September
Duration: 4 years
Positions available: 1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

The role will involve exposure to technical aspects such as materials science, laboratory work, and global sustainability and compliance standards. You'll also work in sales, supply chain sourcing and cost management, marketing, and customer operations. Duties include:

Visiting customers to gain insights into their commercial challenges related to optimising production
Delivering their requirements while understanding commercial constraints and sourcing needs
Ensuring compliance with food regulations and standards

Where you’ll work

44 WEST STREET

OUNDLE

PETERBOROUGH

PE8 4EF

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

SHEFFIELD HALLAM UNIVERSITY

Your training course

Packaging professional (integrated degree) (level 6)

Equal to degree

Course contents

Translate customer briefs to determine a technical packaging brief, which considers business, consumer, operational and sustainability requirements.
Identify, design, develop and source packaging solutions demonstrating best value, environmental impact and fitness for purpose to meet briefs.
Critically analyse and apply packaging design options against complex inter-related touchpoints to meet the needs from design to end of life, e.g. environmental impact using life cycle assessment.
Liaise and coordinate with other stakeholders (e.g. supplier, R&D, marketing, finance, technical) to deliver packaging development projects. When appropriate take the lead and drive the project.
Initiate and lead projects, using project management tools and skills to deliver projects to time, cost, specification and quality.
Identify and control project risks through mitigation plans.
Define parameters, design of experiments, success criteria and protocols for projects appropriate to the brief.
Lead the design and management of packaging trials (e.g. prototypes, production of samples, transit, shelf life, sensory, machine-ability).
Document and evaluate trials at different project stages (e.g. laboratory, pilot plant, supplier, filling and packing, transit and distribution) recommending further activities.
Report results and conclusions. Hypothesise and recommend further adaptions and optimisations.
Ensure compliance with packaging and market regulatory requirements.
Demonstrate financial acumen, e.g. managing budget(s); interpreting financial data and evaluating total product costs and their impact throughout the value chain.
Investigate and interpret non-conformance issues related to Packaging. Resolve using root cause analysis and apply change management.
Effectively communicate with stakeholders at different levels, building positive working relationships; influencing and persuading key stakeholders effectively.
Translate business strategy into internal and external capability building programmes (e.g. supplier quality improvement programmes).
Demonstrate critical thinking, analytical and statistical skills to evaluate and interpret complex information and data (e.g. process capability).
Proactively identify opportunities to improve packaging based on an analysis of costs, continuous improvement, environmental impact, waste avoidance and process improvements.
Provide comprehensive technical services to internal colleagues, customers and suppliers.
Coach and/or mentor.
Use visual and digital tools systems, e.g. project management, computer aided engineering, business management systems, palletisation software.

Your training plan

You will be required to attend Sheffield Hallam University on block study
The degree award is BSc (Hons) Packaging Professional

Requirements

Essential qualifications

A Level in:

Any subject (grade BBC / Distinction Merit Merit)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
Customer care skills
Team working
Initiative

Other requirements

This position will be predominately office based, unless visiting customers, so you must live within commuting distance of Oundle, Northamptonshire.

About this company

KM Packaging is a dynamic, innovative and successful business meeting the demands of food manufacturers across the world. Whether you are an independent small-scale food manufacturer or an international supplier to multiple retailers, we can meet your requirements. Our technical capabilities support manufacturers in accelerating development of their own products and markets in order to drive sales. The company specialises in lidding solutions for ready meals and fresh and frozen produce, as well as flexible packaging for confectionery and bakery products. KM Packaging is renowned for its technical expertise and broad product knowledge and often works jointly with clients to develop new, bespoke solutions to meet specialist needs. Distance is no barrier: the UK-based company innovates with customers - from small food companies to major corporates - across the UK and Europe and as far afield as the Americas, South Africa, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand. KM Packaging is deeply committed to ensuring that customers have the same purchasing experience as if they were using a local supplier, no matter where they are in the world. As a business KM Packaging puts extraordinary effort into its procurement, manufacturing and international logistics processes to create flexibility and minimise lead times for the fast moving food packaging sector.

After this apprenticeship

For the right candidate, this could lead to a full-time position post degree qualification.

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