I am at the end of my first 2 weeks on the graduate scheme now and can honestly say it has flown by! Many of my days have been taken up by meetings arranged with all (over 57!) of my key stakeholders. These are the people I will work most closely with, including senior management. The meetings have really allowed me to quickly form an insight into what is expected of me as well as being a fantastic way to settle in to a company that is dauntingly big! They have shown me the structure of the department and also the ability to say hello and recognise people as you walk around helps you feel at home very quickly.
Aside from these meetings there has been a visit from a flavour house (where I was involved in taste testing samples) and one of the company's largest suppliers who gave a really insightful lecture on the production and use of the fats, polyols and glucose syrups that they manufacture. I found this particularly useful because I have no previous experience in the food industry. If you haven't either, or have studied what you think is an unrelated course, it really shouldn't put you off because there is a massive selection of courses and, possibly more importantly, many opportunities to gain hands on experience working with confectionery and to increase your knowledge.
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