Phoebe Learoyd is a prime example of the limitless opportunity apprenticeships create

Phoebe, like so many other apprentices did not find the option of University attractive. She was keen to learn in real working environments and earning money rather than loaning it was an added bonus. Since beginning her apprenticeship however, it’s become clear Phoebe is not your average apprentice.

First awarded internally at the Worlds leading food & beverage manufacturer to being recognised on the national stage. What’s even more impressive is that this is not the end of Phoebes journey, it’s just the beginning.

Phoebe Learoyd’s Journey: From Customer Service to Supply Chain Excellence at Nestlé

As the world’s largest food and beverage company, manufacturing and supplying a broad range of food and drink products within the UK, you would be hard pressed to find someone that didn’t know of the Nestlé brand. With a vision to “Unlock the power of food to enhance the quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come”, they take on the mantle of industry leaders, encouraging such passion across all areas of the brand and are unquestionable trailblazers within the apprenticeship sector.

With dog friendly office spaces, on site gyms, competitive apprentice salaries and numerous development opportunities at sites across the UK, manufacturing confectionary, coffee and so much more, it’s easy to see why individuals, internally and externally, are drawn to the opportunities presented by Nestlé. One such individual was Demand and Supply Planner, Phoebe Learoyd. Phoebe started her last placement of her apprenticeship at Nespresso in September 2022 after working in the customer service and procurement department of Nestlé. With a desire to continuously develop her knowledge and skills in the supply chain of a multinational organisation.

Exceeding Expectations and Driving Excellence

Phoebe was soon correcting forecasts and rationalising the departmental portfolio within her category all as part of her programme project. As Albany Ward, Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln, Phoebe’s training provider puts it “With little guidance, Phoebe is able to achieve great results, she has great initiative and is always looking for efficiencies”. Phoebe’s eagerness to develop would go beyond what was expected in her role, her incredible organisational skills and communication allow her to develop her proficiency in IT, including excel, developing formulated databases to track supply. Phoebe’s Managers and Trainers were repeatedly assured Phoebe would not only deliver, but go the extra mile.

During her time in Procurement, Phoebe drove improvements in supplier performance, holding performance reviews with key suppliers, to improve supply performance. Phoebe facilitated the Supplier Performance Reviews with the Procurement Leadership Team to share issues and drive escalation actions, playing a significant role in driving the Procurement Operational Master Plan (OMP).

“During her placement with us Phoebe has been exceptional at all times. She approaches every challenge with passion and determination and is always looking for ways to improve processes and relationships. She has grown in little time to become an asset achieving exceptional results in challenging projects such as age stock, saving the business thousands of pounds by collaborating in sustainability, one of our key pillars as a B-corp certified corporation.” – Albany Ward

Receiving Industry Recognition

Phoebe’s outstanding achievements would soon receive recognition, first internally winning the Nespresso B2B award for Q1 2023, always taking swift decisions to ensure both customers and salesforce are well informed and up to date with necessary information and stakeholder satisfaction. Secondly, following the completion of her End-Point Assessment (EPA) with Occupational Awards Limited for the Level 3 Supply Chain Practitioner Standard, Phoebe would win the Apprentice of the Year level 3 category at the inaugural OAL Awards at York Racecourse in October 2023.

“Phoebe impressed the judges with the huge amount of energy and engagement she had brought to her team whilst working on her apprenticeship. She demonstrated that she was strong on results and always delivered everything she did to a high standard. Her application had great examples of impact on others and building excellent relationships with her network and her key stakeholders” Jan Richardson-Wilde, CEO of OAL

Following her success at the OAL Awards Phoebe would also be listed as a finalist for Apprentice of the Year at the Federation of Awarding Bodies Awards in November 2023, although she would not win on this occasion, she was up against apprentices across the nation from Level 2 to Level 7, she would receive special recognition. The ambition and work ethic Phoebe has shown throughout her journey to date show no signs of waning and the external recognition she has received have only added fuel to the fire as Phoebe intends to progress further at Nespresso via a level 4 or 5 apprenticeship.

“The OAL Awards was an extra special event, filled with amazingly talented people from all over the fast-moving goods industry, I felt honoured to be amongst the other finalists. Winning Level 3 Apprentice of the Year has been an amazing achievement in my career so far, being honoured externally has continued to fuel my excitement about what I hope to achieve in the rest of my supply chain career.” – Phoebe

By Zachary Wilde, Marketing & Communications Manager, OAL (Occupational Awards Limited).