Job Description

Start date: Wednesday 2nd September 2026


Scheme duration: 4.5 years


Salary: 25,125 per annum + excellent benefits


Location: York or Halifax


Work Pattern: Factory based, full time

What will you do?

Whether you've recently finished school or are considering a career change, our Packaging Apprentice Scheme offers the perfect opportunity to gain the skills, experience, and support you need to succeed in the world of packaging. Over the course of this four and a half year scheme, you will work with some of the world's most iconic brands, contributing to innovative packaging solutions that enhance product appeal and support our sustainability agenda.



You will play a key role in developing new packaging designs and materials while supporting trials and evaluations at our factory sites, where products like KitKat, Aero, and Yorkie come to life. Throughout the scheme, you'll have the guidance from an experienced mentor to help you maximise your learning and prepare you for an exciting career. Join us and kickstart your career in packaging today!

What makes this scheme exciting?

Sustainability and compliance: Understand and implement sustainable packaging practices and ensure adherence to legal, industry, and customer standards. Packaging development: Assist in developing packaging specifications and managing new packaging development projects, ensuring alignment with customer requirements and environmental considerations. Quality assurance: Manage internal audit schedules and conduct compliance checks to maintain consistent packaging quality and safety standards. Data analysis and problem-solving: Analyse complex information and data to identify the root causes of packaging issues and implement corrective actions. Process optimisation: Establish and control process parameters for packaging operations, ensuring efficiency in areas such as material selection, design, and production.

What will you learn?

Team leadership and development: Lead and develop small technical teams, fostering a collaborative environment and driving personal and team growth in packaging projects. Supplier management: Conduct supplier audits and performance reviews, ensuring compliance with quality standards and maintaining strong supplier relationships for packaging materials. Effective communication: Demonstrate integrity and respect in communication, influencing and building relationships with key stakeholders in the packaging process. Innovation and adaptability: Show curiosity and a proactive approach to drive change and improvements within the packaging development process, focusing on new processes and initiatives.

You'll experience student life at Sheffield Hallam University which typically involve week-long learning blocks, and you can understand more about what you will learn on your apprenticeship journey by clicking on the link below to look at the apprenticeship standard:



Packaging professional (integrated degree) / Skills England



This is the current apprenticeship programme but could be subject to change by Skills England ahead of your 2026 start date.

Our commitment to you...

We will support you every step of the way, the following are just some of our offerings to enable you to thrive with us:

Inclusive culture, join our variety of employee run networks! Comprehensive benefits Pastoral support Employee Assistance Programme Potential relocation support (2,000) Prayer rooms Various rewards and recognition opportunities

Eligibility requirements

You will have the right to work in the UK that is not time-limited and does not require sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route either at the start of the scheme or on completion. You will have lived in the UK for 3 years prior to the start date of this apprenticeship scheme. You will have obtained or be predicted to obtain your: + Maths and English Language GCSEs (or equivalent) at grades 9-4 (A-C if taken before 2017). Original certificates will need to be provided.
+ 104 UCAS points or more (or 260 points from 2017 or previous). You will need to be 18 by 1st September 2026.

The recruitment journey

After you click "apply" you'll be prompted to answer a few questions to determine your eligibility for the scheme. If you qualify, we will invite you to complete an online assessment, which you can practice here. Please do not upload a CV, instead we ask you to upload any relevant qualifications to support your application.





Once you have completed this stage, we will notify you if you are selected to attend an assessment day which will be in February, March or April 2026. It may take a little bit of time between assessment stages to get back to you; we really appreciate your patience.

Adjustments

We recognise that each candidate has unique needs, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive application process. You will have the opportunity to discuss any specific requirements or adjustments you may need as you navigate through our recruitment process.





We may occasionally close job advertisements early in the event we receive sufficient applicants, so please don't delay in submitting your application.





At Nestle, our values are rooted in respect - for our employees, our customers and our consumers. That's why championing diversity and inclusion is so important to us; when we embrace different perspectives and give everyone the chance to be the best they can be, we can think in new, creative ways that grow and enhance our business. We are committed to equal opportunity for all and we may collect relevant data for monitoring purposes during our candidate registration process.


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