Procurement Engineer Apprentice Review

I am based in the Procurement Function. My job title is Procurement Engineer Apprentice. I have recently moved into my second placement in F-35. As I am new to the team, I am not 100% on my daily tasks and job roles here just yet. I was previously in the IOPS Team where I had a very varied job role. I was Order book Manager for Inflite. I regularly updated the order book and communicated these updates over to my contact at Inflite and vice versa. On a weekly basis I retrieved and analysed data and produce weekly team boards for one of my Senior Managers. I worked closely with other Functions such as Quality, Engineering and Estimating and built a good working relationship with individuals in these teams. I also have an awareness of BaaN and placing Purchase Orders; towards the end of my placement I was starting to place Purchase Orders independently. I was asked by Jeremy Coughlan (Head of Procurement and Supply Chain) to be lead on a Re-Sourcing Project. I had to prioritise and organise activities and also organise the other functions who were working along side us. I regularly had to report my progress to Jeremy and other Senior Managers within the Business and keep them up to date with how the project was going. I was given a lot of responsibility in this placement and felt like a valued member of the team.

Prioritising Tasks How to manage an Order Book and the work involved Team Working Independent Working Communication with Suppliers and Other Stakeholders Basic Procurement Awareness Communication Skills Excel Skills Project Basic Skills

I am thoroughly enjoying my Apprenticeship at BAE Systems. We are given 'proper' work to do, rather than just: filing or making the brews. We are given work to learn and carry out which will have a direct impact on the business if we did not do the required work. To some extend there is a downside to this as it appears some individuals do forget we are Apprentices and don't know everything that is required but that is also a positive. The teams have both been very friendly and welcoming and made me feel part of the team straight away. The company culture of being an inclusive culture is brilliant as it realises that not everyone is the same and that we are all individuals and treat us as individuals. I have previously done Apprenticeships and this is by far the best Apprenticeship. I am thoroughly enjoying myself and loving learning new things. I am very glad I made the move from my previous employment.

I definitely do feel valued by BAE even though I have only been at the company a matter of months. This is reflected in the holiday allowances, the ability to build flexi time to help create that work life balance and also it is reflected in the pay.

I feel it is structured but I also feel that some improvements could be made to improve it further. The induction is good however feels a lot like 'death by PowerPoint' and it is effectively 'information overload'. As I had worked in a Business environment before I was aware of things such as Health and Safety and Data Protection however for individuals who have come straight out of school it is a lot for them to take on board in a short space of time. I do feel the induction is useful in helping us get to know our fellow apprentices however I do feel like the time could be better utilised in some ways. I feel like some of the training could have been better organised. For Example going into a placement and then the training being organised for certain individuals; could be better being more pro-active and having everything organised before an apprentice comes in to the placement. I feel it needs to be more structured in our placements in having set time for our apprenticeship work to be completed and also having set time scheduled to meet with our Supervisor/Manager/Mentor to raise any questions/concerns. I also feel the placements need to take in to account that not every individual learns the same way so to tailor that approach to the individual. I have registered for a mentor however I am still waiting to hear back about one. I do feel like the transition into a new placement needs to be improved; it is rather daunting going in to a new environment to just be left on your own.

I feel we do get support from our training provider. However I feel the support could be better/improved. I feel for the amount of Apprentices there are that two Assessors isn't enough to dedicate enough time for each individual at each site. I think the drop in sessions are great but do feel there should be a limit to how many people attend to make sure that it is worthwhile you attending so you can benefit from the session.

The Salary which we start on is good and for individuals coming straight from school/college it is brilliant. However as I am slightly older and have my own place and other responsibilities I do find the starting salary sometimes not enough. If possible it would be great if for older individuals etc it could maybe be tailored to our own personal situation (not sure if this is possible though). I find I am spending a lot more on petrol due to the location of the sites than I used too.

Definitely lots of activities to get involved in such as: The Princes Trust & The German Exchange. I am also the First Year Trade Union Rep, this has led to me helping structure the meeting agenda and document the notes after the meeting. There are also plenty of things that we get sent to get involved in such as Volunteering at St Catherine's Hospice and participating in Open Evenings and Recruitment Drives.

Yes

Brilliant Company to work for Reputation Looks after its Employees Employee Benefits which are available Flexible Working Hours Treats you as an Individual Flexible dependent on Individual Circumstances Local to commute too Holiday Allowance Ability to take Flexi-Days Salary & Salary Increases (Once Apprenticeship has been completed) Pension Scheme Shares Scheme

It is a long process and sometimes you feel like you are 'playing the waiting game' but it is definitely worth it. Try not to compare yourself to other individuals, we are all different and all have different qualities which BAE want to help create a diverse workplace. BAE will see you as an individual, so step outside the crowd. Interview - Prepare, Prepare & Prepare. Make sure you know your stuff and have plenty of examples of experience to talk about. Definitely research BAE well and try to learn some as you can use this to help you shine. Outward Bound - As daunting as it sounds (if you don't like that type of stuff) it is worthwhile and to go in with an open mind.