Apprentice Engineer Review

My job title is apprentice engineer, and currently I am coming to the end of my shop floor training. I have passed the IPC qualifications which test your ability and knowledge on dynamic cabling and soldering. I have been completing these qualification for the past two and a half months, my days varied dependant on what stage I was up to; I started off by populating circuit boards moving onto fabricating cables and finally passing the exams to gain the qualifications.

I have developed my existing soldering skills to a much higher standard as I have moved on from having the ability to complete single sided PCB's to through-hole and surface mount PCB's. I have also learnt how to fabricate cables through the IPC course which was challenging but rewarding. I have also been familiarised with what to look for when inspecting dynamic cables and PCB's.

I am currently in my 7th month in my role and up to now I have enjoyed every stage of the apprenticeship. having only been on sight two and a half months I have been made to feel extremely welcome due to the friendly working environment. Each stage has been interesting and beneficial to me as an apprentice engineer.

I feel valued as an apprentice however I feel that as I progress through my apprenticeship I will be seen as a larger value to the company due to having a lager role and being more capable in the workplace.

The apprentice programme is well structured as I have been given my placements for the next 15 months and told who my line managers will be in each placement. as well as this I was also given a timetable of the training I would receive outlining where I need to be and when. However when enrolling at college for my academic qualifications I feel this could have gone more smoothly.

Support from my college is sufficient but there could be more in place. Due to attending college once a week it is sometimes hard to catch teachers/lecturers on their spare time to help with any problems. As well as this due to large class sizes work sometimes takes a long time to be marked and returned. However I understand my employer's are attempting to resolve existing issues.

I receive sufficient support at work and I feel that if I required any extra support I could easily access it. There are several senior members of the company that have identified themselves as contact dependant on the support I need.

My salary is £12,000 pre tax and this personally covers my current living costs (living with parents) and my travel costs leaving me with extra money for social events and daily costs. This salary increases annually dependant on performance within work and college.

There are many careers' events outside of work which offer apprentices the opportunity to give their opinion to possible future apprentices. there are also many social events run by the charity team, these are usually once every two weeks.

Yes

The programme so far has impressed me and I have been made to feel extremely welcome at the company.

Your application is the most important part as it needs to give the company a good impression of you as a person. However do not lie on your application as you will be found out. On the assessment day be prepared for a group task in which you will need to communicate with others and if possible bring a project you have manufactured yourself to the interview as this will impress the interviewer and show initiative.