Level 3 Maintenance Technician Review

We begin the week with a college day on a Monday, where we learn about different subjects to do with engineering. We study maths, communications, materials, and health and safety. We get given assignments for all subjects, but only study two subjects at a time as we have two 3 hour lessons every Monday. The rest of the week we spend in the workshop downstairs completing our practical work.

Since starting this apprenticeship I can confidently say I have learned new skills that I did not have prior to it. There are many skills that I have learned from each rotation downstairs and I am looking forward to starting my placements and being able to put them into action.

I am very thankful for being able to say I have this apprenticeship and I am grateful for all the skills it has taught me so far, I am also happy to know I have already learnt many things even after only 7 months here. However, in the state of my mental health I have been struggling a lot with the workload and have had a very stressful last few months. I also struggle with the fact I had to move away from home for this job and it is honestly taking a toll on my head.

The structure of the program is well thought out but the frequency of the assignments and workload is making me struggle as they are due very close to being assigned to us.

The support from our employer is very generous and they understand that we may struggle as this is very different to other jobs, especially those of us who are just out of college. They are very flexible and are able to aid us with any help that we may need, I really enjoy the level of generosity and kindness that the staff here provide.

The assignments and work for downstairs is provided to us through teams, we are given the basic information on how to complete them.

It provides me with the necessary knowledge to be able to perform without the need for an external aid.

I am part of the charity champions team at BMW, we are a group of apprentices that come together to create different ideas on how we could raise money for charity. We are able to talk to people from different departments and buildings across the plant and make relationships with different year groups.

Yes

I would recommend it to a friend because it is a very well structured and well paid apprenticeship. It is a great start up for a persons career in engineering and provides a solid base for them for the future.

My tip is make sure you find the plant that suits you the best, especially location wise. I chose a plant really far from home without the knowledge that there was one much closer to where I am from, this created many struggles for me and has made my first year really stressful.