Innovation Centre Degree Apprentice

About the Role

Looking to kickstart your career while earning your degree? This is your chance to gain hands-on experience with a company that’s shaping the future of materials and manufacturing.

At Vitafoam, we’re a dynamic, forward-thinking business driven by innovation and purpose. Sustainability and ESG are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re committed to creating smarter, more responsible solutions for tomorrow.

As an Innovation Centre Degree Apprentice, you’ll work alongside our expert Innovation Team, gaining real-world experience in both laboratory research and product testing—all while developing the skills you need for a successful career.

What You’ll Be Doing

In this role, you’ll get involved in a wide range of exciting, hands-on activities, including:

• Supporting the development of new polyurethane foam technologies in our R&D laboratory
• Carrying out finished mattress testing to ensure performance and quality standards
• Working in a materials science lab, including wet chemistry processes
• Helping to turn innovative ideas into real-world products used in furniture and bedding
• Collaborating with experienced colleagues to support design decisions and product improvements

You won’t just be observing—you’ll be actively contributing to projects that make a real impact.

Where You’ll Work

Our Middleton site offers a unique learning environment where you’ll experience both:

• Large-scale manufacturing – seeing how foam products are made at scale
• Innovation Centre – supporting R&D, product testing, and customer-focused development

This means you’ll understand not just the science behind our products, but how they’re used in the real world.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Curious and eager to learn
• Interested in science, engineering, or materials development
• Practical and hands-on, with a willingness to try new things
• A strong team player with good communication skills
• Motivated to build a career while working towards a degree
• Due to achieve a minimum grade C Chemistry A level, and 104 UCAS points

Why Join Us?

• Earn while you learn with a degree apprenticeship
• Gain real industry experience from day one
• Be part of a company committed to sustainability and innovation
• Work on meaningful projects that contribute to a better, more responsible future
• Develop skills that will set you up for long-term career success