Fitter Review

My job role is a fitter working in product development. This involves working alongside engineers to develop our products from prototypes to production stage. I work in a vehicle workshop fitting new components and assemblies which are to be tested.

Yes, several. As well as my level 2 BTEC in engineering, level 3 NVQ and level 3 IMI qualifications which I gained from college during my apprenticeship, Jaguar Land Rover have helped me massively develop my practical skills to complete various mechanical and electrical work on our vehicles. Before this my knowledge was very limited. There is also a tremendous amount of internal training courses to learn all sort of skills such as advanced driving, refrigerant handling, fork lift driving etc.

I have really enjoyed all aspects of my apprenticeship because I find my job extremely interesting and all of the people I work with are very friendly and happy for me to learn from them.

I valued by my manager because he always seems to appreciate it when you give extra effort to ensure a job gets done and I have been involved with important projects which is nice to think they think they can trust me with the responsibility that brings. I don't particularly feel valued by Jaguar Land Rover as a whole because we don't really have any recognition rewards.

In general my apprenticeship has been well organised and structured, I have had a massive variety of different experiences and training which has helped develop my skills and myself as a person and always been given all the support I need. However parts of it could have been structured much better. The BTEC that I did in my first 2 years was not particularly well aligned with my job role (e.g. I had to complete a unit of household electrics in the workshop and the course itself had nothing to do with working on vehicles) because the college was not able to offer anything more relevant. My entire class then managed to complete our IMI in 1 year rather than 2 and we all pushed to do an additional qualification in our remaining last year but unfortunately again the college couldn't offer anything suitable. My training at work also began a bit disorganised because there wasn't anyone really in charge of apprentices so I was just sort of sent all over the place with no clear learning objectives. That being said the programme has recently changed massively because due to the trailblazer government scheme all companies have much more funding for apprenticeships. My manager is extremely keen to ensure that changes are made so that all of the training apprentices receive at college is relevant and beneficial to their job role. Changes have also been made at work so we now have a designated training officer for our department who looks after the apprentices and is fantastic at his job. He has already made massive changes such as creating a detailed training plan with placements in different departments with clear training objectives which help to give us a broader understanding of our job. He is also our first point of call with any issues we have.

There has always been lots of support available if needed from the college. I have a mentor who I have regular reviews with who is always happy to listen to any concerns or issues I have. Although sometimes it does seem like if you raise an issue not much is done about it.

As I already mentioned, we have an internal training officer who I can go to if I need support with anything informal. I also have my manager or the HR department I can talk to if I need to raise an issue.

It more than exceeds my costs. We get paid a very generous salary even as an apprentice and the company always accommodate for any extra costs when working abroad or having to travel to different sites etc.

There are lots of opportunities outside work such as events and activities because Jaguar Land Rover are always involved with several other companies and events that are happening around the world.

Yes

Because my apprenticeship has been a fantastic alternative to going to university, it has helped me develop myself and my skills whilst also earning a wage rather than getting into lots of debt, and I get a job at the end of it which is so valuable nowadays. I thoroughly enjoy my job and think Jaguar Land Rover is a great company to work for if you're interested in engineering.

The application process is quite long and I found parts of it quite difficult, It's very important to show that you possess the qualities JLR are looking for (dedicated, interested, punctual, team player etc.).