Business Management Apprentice Review

I am a Commercial Apprentice and have had Estimating and Contracts placements. In my current role I am trusted to put together important documentation and contact other people around the company. I do have responsibility over work allocated to me, however would like to have more interaction with the customer.

I have learnt a lot of new skills, through my placements and also extra activities. My new skills include excel through my qualification at college, presenting confidently and leadership skills. I am also a STEM Ambassador which has taught me managerial skills.

I enjoy the programme the majority of the times. I have made great apprentice friends and have also fit in well with all my teams. I have learnt a lot, however can sometimes be repetitive.

I always feel valued when completing work. My line manager always thanks me and when she is off drops me an email to let me know I'm doing well. I am also by my assessor and placement manager offered frequent opportunities outside the office, this makes me feel valued.

I feel the organisation could improve, as during the training stage there was some waiting around when filling in paper work. I also believe the NVQ objectives/targets could be more clear of deadlines. Also some reviews and presentations have been scheduled late indicating unorganisation.

I feel I am supported by the training team as I know I can email them if I need. They are keen to offer support at reviews, and make sure we are aware of the safe guarding and discrimination policies. However, I feel like more personal check ins could be made through phone or email more often.

I receive good support from my team always offering to help me with work. I have very little contact with the HR team but believe they would support me if I contacted them. I would feel comfortable to talk to my manager if I had any problems.

I believe the salary is good for an apprenticeship and for people of our age. I do believe more extras could be provided to cover our travel cost and lunch times and it should be raised to minimum wage for the amount of work we do. However, I do have enough for all aspects of living.

There are loads of opportunities to get involved in outside of BAE Systems. I have personal been involved in Prince's Trust, Charity events, STEM Ambassador events. Opportunities are widely spread across the business, giving everyone an equal opportunity.

Yes

I think the job is enjoyable and the qualification we receive makes it worth while. It also has good prospects and opportunities, along with a good salary.

My main tip would be to get knowledgeable about the scheme, about BAE Systems in general and also know some historic/ interesting facts about the work we do. Once on the scheme I would say take every opportunity that is offered to expand your learning.