29 July 2026
Choosing what to do after school or college isn’t always straightforward. For some people, the traditional route of full-time classroom-based education isn’t the right fit. An apprenticeship offers another way forward: gaining a recognised qualification while developing practical skills and experience in a real working environment.
At J L Priestley & Co Ltd, we’re proud to support apprentices as they begin their careers, giving them the opportunity to learn on the job, work alongside experienced colleagues and gain an understanding of the food ingredients industry.
Our latest apprenticeship opportunity is a newly created Factory QA Apprentice role, offering the successful candidate the chance to develop their skills in quality control and auditing while working as part of our factory team.
Learning while you work
One of our current apprentices, Harvey, chose an apprenticeship because he wanted to combine education with practical experience.
After studying business at college and working in a pub, Harvey was looking for a different direction. He explored opportunities across several industries before applying to J. L. Priestley, where he felt the role and the company offered the right fit for how he wanted to learn.
“I prefer doing skills and learning on the job than the traditional route of learning in a classroom,” he explains. “I wanted to continue my education as well, and on an apprenticeship you can get qualifications at the same time as learning on the job.”
Harvey is currently completing a Level 3 Food Technologist apprenticeship. His role has given him experience across a range of areas, including internal auditing, laboratory testing, legal compliance, quality standards and communication with customers, suppliers and colleagues.
For Harvey, one of the biggest benefits has been the variety of experience he has gained.
“I’ve done so many different things now on my apprenticeship that I could really go on and do whichever one of the sectors that I wanted to,” he says. “Come the end of it, I’ll have lots of options.”
That breadth of experience is particularly valuable in a business like J L Priestley & Co Ltd, where quality, technical knowledge, food safety, sourcing, customer service and production all play an important role in delivering the right ingredients to our customers.
A hands-on experience in a thriving business
Harvey considered several apprenticeship opportunities before deciding that J L Priestley & Co Ltd was the right place for him.
One of the things that made Harvey choose us was the opportunity to gain experience across the wider business.
“J L Priestley is family-owned. It’s a bit of a smaller company as opposed to a big international corporation, and it felt like I would get a lot more hands-on learning with different teams and across the business as a whole,” he says.
For someone starting their career, that can make a real difference. Rather than feeling like a small part of a large organisation, working within a smaller business can offer the opportunity to get to know different teams, understand how different parts of the business work together and take on a varied range of responsibilities.
Developing skills that can take you further
An apprenticeship isn’t just about gaining a qualification. It’s also an opportunity to develop the practical and professional skills that can support a long-term career.
Harvey’s day-to-day responsibilities have included auditing, laboratory testing, quality checks and ensuring compliance with legal and quality requirements. His favourite part of the role is auditing, due to its’ ever changing nature.
“Every audit’s different, and you’ll see new things on every order,” he says.
As part of his apprenticeship, Harvey has been able to continue his formal studies alongside his on-the-job learning. His schedule includes dedicated study time as part of his working week, as well as periods of classroom based learning at the National Centre for Food Manufacturing, with the opportunity to apply what he learns directly to his role at J L Priestley & Co Ltd.
The balance between work and study has been an important part of his experience.
“The company is actually really good for that,” Harvey says. “They give time at work to do coursework and that side of things as well. As a whole, we handle it quite well, and I feel like I can manage my workload.”
Your opportunity to start a career in the food industry
Our new Factory QA Apprentice role is designed for someone who is methodical, organised and has a strong eye for detail.
Working alongside the factory team, the successful apprentice will gain practical experience in areas including quality control, auditing, sample collection and testing, data recording and production checks.
The role will also provide exposure to new product development, customer sales samples, technical support and the documentation involved in transferring products and managing production processes.
The apprenticeship is a 15-month Level 4 Quality Practitioner programme, delivered online through the National Centre for Food Manufacturing at the University of Lincoln. Alongside their studies, the successful candidate will receive coaching and mentoring from the Factory Manager and will have the opportunity to play an important role in helping shape the future of quality at our factory.
The role is designed as a starting point for someone who wants to build a career with J L Priestley & Co Ltd. Following the apprenticeship, there is the preferred opportunity to progress onto a Process Leader apprenticeship, with further opportunities within the wider business to progress into supervision and, ultimately to management level, subject to meeting agreed criteria.
Could an apprenticeship at J L Priestley & Co Ltd be right for you?
Harvey’s advice to anyone starting an apprenticeship is simple:
“They’ll make mistakes, and that’s fine. Everyone’s going to make mistakes when they start. Just be open to new learning and new experiences. Try and take everything as you go.”
You don’t need to have your entire career mapped out from day one. An apprenticeship can be an opportunity to discover what you’re good at, explore different areas of an industry and build the skills and experience that help you decide where you want to go next.
For Harvey, choosing an apprenticeship with J L Priestley & Co Ltd has given him the opportunity to gain a qualification, build practical experience and develop a broad understanding of the food industry. He is now approaching the end of his current apprenticeship and hopes to continue his development with J. L. Priestley by applying for a Level 6 apprenticeship, which includes a degree.
Looking back on his decision to become an apprentice at J. L. Priestley, Harvey says:
“I don’t have any regrets. I think it was the right choice for me. It was a good fit for the company and where I wanted to be. I wanted to start learning, and I haven’t looked back.”
We’re now looking for our next apprentice to join the J L Priestley & Co Ltd team.
If you’re interested in food quality, enjoy working with detail and data, and want to develop practical skills while gaining a recognised qualification, we’d love to hear from you.
The Factory QA Apprentice position is based at our site in Heckington, Lincolnshire. The apprenticeship starts in September 2026 and offers the opportunity to develop a career within a growing, family-owned food ingredients business.
Applications close on 14 August 2026.
https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeship/VAC2000043541
We look forward to welcoming the next member of the J L Priestley & Co Ltd team.
