Production Services Operative Review

Production services apprenticeship. This involves placements in three main areas. Confined spaces: testing all the confined spaces on board a submarine and installing safety air extraction, Slinging: heavy lifting and installing various pieces of a submarine, everything from doors to beds, Temporary Protection: Manufacturing protective covers to ensure damage to the boat is kept to a minimum.

I have developed a lot of practical skills which I did not have previously, and we have gained several qualifications from the apprenticeship.

I have enjoyed the programme, it has given me a great insight to the world of submarine construction across a varied team of workers. A lot of jobs overlap with other trades. e.g. when on slinging you physically fit the item for the mechanical fitters if the item is too heavy for them to fit. It has met my expectations but I still feel we should be offered additional qualifications up to level 3/ HNC.

BAE Systems is a good company to work for. They provide an excellent health scheme on site and they also have a workers credit union, a good pension scheme and we have access to the company share scheme. Management in our department recognises the importance of the jobs we do and we are treated accordingly.

The general BAE Systems induction and outward bound scheme is of great quality, it covers everything and it prepares you for the challenging work you are going to carry out. We have had several meetings and reviews with our apprentice co-ordinators. I was the first and only apprentice in my department when I started as it was a completely new scheme. The managers in the department were therefore unsure as to what had to be done, but I had several meetings and kept them informed, which has paved the way for the next generation of apprentices.

We have had as much support from BAE Systems as we wanted. Meetings were arranged every 12-8 weeks to discuss progress on the NVQ, to offer support and to have our placement progress reviewed. Our College provider (Furness College) was rather disorganised, often we did not know where our lessons would be held, it took them until late April to arrange for us to do a 12 week course before the end of term, which involved us attending College after the general students had left. And on one occasion we were booked in for the wrong exam. I would advise improvements are definitely needed at the College.

We are given as mush time as we want for completing our work and the management are very approachable for problems. We have been briefed on what we are expected to do for HR, mentoring and guidance. It is easily accessible for all employees.

The initial minimum wage provided, set by the government to people under 21 leaves little to be desired. For people hoping to become independent in their first year of working in an apprenticeship it is all but impossible, however when I moved into my second year with the BAE Systems pay scheme I was receiving a lot more than the average apprenticeship rate, and the pay grades are very high for the local area.

There are opportunities to attend company events such as open days, workshops, helping with work experience/ school children. The local area in South Cumbria is rather quiet in comparison to other major urban areas but there is a variety of things on offer such as amazing scenery, gyms, a theatre, nightlife.

Yes

The apprenticeships are of good quality and the pay is more than fair for an apprenticeship. The company have a lot of rewards such as a good quality medical centre, free counselling and physiotherapy, a good pension scheme, a good shares scheme which gives you up to £75 a month for free and a good credit union, providing very low interest loans. The company also have good deals with local and national companies for things such as new cars, mortgages, restaurant discounts, holiday discounts etc. etc. Union membership is also encouraged which brings even further benefits similar to the above mentioned.

When applying for the role you would have to put an emphasis on the fact that you are interested in a company that can offer you a lot of opportunities to progress and develop. The first stage is aptitude testing, which is general mechanical reasoning. It would be a good idea to practice online with the various free tests available. The second stage is an interview day where you will be expected to build a bridge or something similar as part of a team, and an individual interview where you will be expected to show the interview panel a project you have worked on which shows proficiency/ interest for your job