Mechanical Engineer Apprentice Review

I am a mechanical engineer trainee. This means that I am on day release at collge for one day a week and then at work for the remainder of the working week. I am involved in ventialtion, plumbing and electrical design of a building although my main role is mechanical design. I have to intreact with other enginners around me to gain knowledge on a daily basis. I am responsible for my own design draswings and calculations being ready and up to stnadard on days when they have to be issued to the clinet of the projecvt I am working on.

I have developed lots of new and useful skills during my time as an apprentice. I have learnt how to use multiple drawing programmes such as revit, auto cad, navis works and then been able to improve upon my skills on other softwares such as excel through courses provided to me internally and externally by Arup. I am also half through a betec level 3 and nveq to go along with that and hope to go on to further education as well.

I really have enjoyed it so far with people being courtesse, undertanding, respectful and extremly helpful. I have got on well with everbody at Arup and the apprenticship has met my expectations of whatit would be like.

I feel reasonably valued by Arup with people coming to see me to see if I am available to work on their project and have had good work done by me recognised.

My programme is quite well structured. First I am completing a Btec Level 3 in construction along with an NVQ, then moving onto a HNC qualification and then hopefully moving onto acheiving an Eng tec.

I have recieved a lot of support from my mentor in contec=xt to general quiries about the workplace and so forth and then advice on engineering and terchnician work. My mentor is always wanting to help me when I ask for it and won't say no. If he does not know the answer to what I am asking he will go out of his way to find someone who does.

I receieve quite a bit of support from my employer in terms of genral problems and more specific ones as well.

My salary does meet my living costs and travel costs. My train ticket per month is quite expensive as is my living costs but my salaray per month/year more than covers it.

Therfe are lots of events held by my employer with something happening outside of work about once a week.

Yes

It is a good, friendly environment where they push you to improve your skills and knowledge in engineering and want you to be the best you can be.

Get a weeks worth of work experience in engineering before your interview and to learn a little bit about it and then also learn a little bit about the company and the sort of projects it has worked on.