Mechanical engineering apprentice Review

My role as an mechanical engineering apprentice is to learn the skills needed to operate various machines and learn different fitting and maintenance skills using hand tools, in my current placement I go out to various breakdowns and services and maintain all machines and equipment on site interacting with other employees

Alongside an NVQ level 3(which means I am learning the practical skills needed for my job role) I am studying a mechanical engineering HNC which will give me the theoretical knowledge to become an engineer. Due to these qualifications and other internal courses such as a lifting and slinging course I feel like I have learnt a wide range of new skills

I enjoy the programme very much and everyone I work with, they are very helpful and always willing to teach new skills, any disputes and issues get sorted effectively by management so there's a good positive attitude at work

Most managers will always appreciate managers and help them develop as best they can, regular review meetings with management and NVQ assessors give regular reminders of how well you're doing and developing and any criticism given is always constructive which shows I am valued

The structure of the programme and basic qualification you are going to receive is very good as it gives you a broad base of skills and can give you a wide range of opportunities, the facilities on side and the knowledge from operators, manager and other employees are very useful when it comes to training however the organization of the structure is not great for example plans are constantly changing and we get told to go about different things all the time without much warning, plans changing and the difficulty to organize meetings tasks etc. is not great although is improving, task delegation and team hierarchy is fair as you are still valued to most employees and managers and most will always go out their way t help you.

support from the training provider is not great at all, their is a lack of tutors so gaining relevant qualifications can be a struggle, their is little organization with little tutors teaching therefore its very hard to attain the knowledge needed to get the higher grades, problems from the training provider have been reported to the employer although not much seems to get done, however when tutors are present they are more than willing to help you and will always give you extra knowledge and time if needed which makes the experience enjoyable.

when it comes to support from my employer I think guidance with personal problems and issues at work are resolved quickly due to the amount of support available and the easy accessibility of this support, I have a mentor and a KR team which are always there if I ever need them and a helpful manager who will go out their way to help whenever their is a problem although the one thing that could be improved is the employers willingness to put you on training courses to further your development as their are plenty of training courses which will make you even more valuable to the workforce and although some apprentices may not want to partake the opportunity should be there for the ones willing to do the course

As I have moved away from home to come work for siemens I didn't earn enough money until my third year as my bills, travel to and from home for weekends and costs of living away from home were too great, at the minute I have to pay for rent on a flat, bills, taxes, fuel to travel to work and back, travel costs between my flat and home and any food costs in between however because of the wage in the third and fourth year giving me a profit and because of the qualifications and experience and training I get from Siemens the costs are worth it

The company hold events every so often through work and inside of work however because I am a mechanical fitter I rarely get the opportunity to partake in these opportunities outside of work, therefore as there are plenty of internal opportunities I feel like I do not miss anything. outside of work as I am not local it took a while to find a local football team but now I have found a 6 a side team and other than that I relax at my flat after work, I tend to drive home at weekends.

Yes

because the training and experience you get for working with such a big company with various job roles mean you get a wide range of experiences and skills at the end. Not to mention the qualifications and job that could be a possibility after the completion of the apprenticeship.

I would suggest to people to practice the online questionnaire type questions and practice the exam type questions you will receive on the testing day, if you get through to the interview stage I suggest you research siemens and what they do and the types of things you will be doing if you got the apprenticeship and find out why you would want to work in that environment, go in with an open mind and ask questions, tell them you have a few job roles in which you are potentially interested in although you are keeping an open mind as that may change.