Apprentice Review

Maintenance technician. Fault finding and solving issues on plant equipment and machinery. Also completion of planned maintenance on planned machinery. This also includes attending meetings, planning jobs, organising contractors, ordering parts and working with others.

Yes. Learnt mechanical and electrical maintenance skills. As well as communication skills.

The actual work in itself is enjoyable and can be very gratifying. However some of the requirements of the apprenticeship are not relevant.

The ideas and layout of the program seem to be well thought out in theory, however in practice there is a lack of actual guideance, making it hard to see what the future holds.

I have had support in completing my HNC, and other certain courses such as the BS7671. However, further training opportunities that have been suggested, such as the HND, degree apprenticeship, top up degree, or certain courses have received no support from the employer.

Support from the training provider (the Sheffield college) was always present when required. I always had access to my assessor via telephone or email. The support from my assessor through the end point assessment resulted in me getting a distinction.

Knowledge and skills. Understanding some of the theoretical elements to completing the job improves my capabilities as an engineer. However, not everything learnt was relevant.

Aside from the odd works night out (at Christmas for example) no.

Yes

Decent pay and the ability to complete the HNC during the apprenticeship

You aren't guaranteed a job at the end of the apprenticeship, so work hard to achieve the best grades in your qualifications to ensure you have a positive outlook if you have to head elsewhere.