Apprentices at KP Snacks: Jessica's story

Jessica is a Mature Apprentice in the Engineering department at KP Snacks, Teesside.

I currently work two days at the Teesside site and three days at Hartlepool College. At present I'm working in the Process area with the Maintenance Lead for that area.

The best part of my apprenticeship is reacting to breakdowns - I really enjoy getting into any job that's thrown at me and working in a different part of the factory that's out of my comfort zone. It has been great getting to know how the bigger side of the factory works, and how much effort and time goes in to planning. At college, I really enjoy the practical lessons and my favourite is electrical installation. Overall, I’m really enjoying getting stuck in and can’t wait to learn even more.

When I heard that KP had offered Mature Apprenticeships in the past, I knew that was my big goal. After working up through various roles at KP, I set a target to push myself forward for the apprenticeship when it was advertised.

If anyone else was thinking about an apprenticeship, I would encourage them to go for it. These opportunities don’t come around often, but with all the help and guidance you get as an apprentice, it can open other doors within the business. Being thirty-one years old and going back to college was a very daunting experience, but with the help of my manager, training and the engineers who had been through it years ago, I have enjoyed every bit of it so far, even the challenging parts!