Maintenance Apprentice Review

I am a Maintenance and Facilities Apprentice at the Darlington site for Cummins Ltd. My daily tasks include, shadowing the technicians throughout the day to see how things work around the factory. When supervised, i can go to call outs and look at jobs to see if i can think of a way they can be fixed or prevented. On a day to day basis i see my managers and the other technicians as well as my fellow apprentices. My responsibilities include, helping any maintenance staff with jobs if i am needed, looking out for my own and others' safety, and coming up with ideas on how to make a task simpler or safer as part of problem solving. As a maintenance apprentice, i am not given projects as my job is for more preventive maintenance and reactive maintenance so every day is different. This makes coming to work exciting and interesting as i never know what to expect.

As part of the apprenticeship, i am put on certain courses to better my knowledge of certain things i will have to work with while on site. I will also eventually complete my BTEC, NVQ, HNQ, and hopefully a degree in the future. I now have my IPAF license thanks to the training available to me at Cummins. While on site i also gain skills such as team work, problem solving, respect, and responsibility just to name a few. I am currently on a 15 week additional training course which i will benefit from by learning lots of different trades and skills.

So far i am really enjoying my time at Cummins and i feel like this apprenticeship really suits me as i am a practical learner and like to learn new things to broaden my knowledge. The team i work with are very knowledgeable and welcoming and have made it very easy for me to settle in. It is different to what i was expecting but i am happy with how it is going.

I speak to my manager frequently and feel comfortable going to him if i have any problems. I feel valued by the technicians and am praised when i am seen to be working hard. Any project that is going on, i am welcomed to share my ideas and i can get involved.

Cummins have organised my apprenticeship very well as i know where i am supposed to be and what i am doing while i am there. I attended on-boarding when i first started and that was very well organised. My collage courses are usually well organised and i know what i am working towards.

I attend college every Tuesday and i get along with all of the apprentices and tutors. They are supportive and whenever i need help, they are there to give me extra attention. I have not experienced any problems however i am sure that if i did, i would be taken care of.

I receive as much support as i need from all of the staff. My mentor gives me extra training while on site about electric systems and how things function which is a huge help. Everyone seems very happy to help and guide me with tasks on a daily basis.

As i have only just came out of school, i don't have many bills or living costs so i am very pleased with my wage as i can save fore the future and also enjoy my lifestyle.

I have not been an apprentice for long so i haven't really experienced much outside of the company but i'm sure in the future i will benefit from being part of Cummins. The courses i am put on are a great opportunity to better myself. I also did EEEC which is a volunteer scheme Cummins organise.

Yes

They are a local company with good values and they look after their employees very well.

The application process is long but well worth it. The assessment days are a good experience even if it doesn't result in a job and they are good practice for the future. In the interview you must stand out and be calm. The meeting may seem intense but be open with them and keep in mind that they should be advertising themselves as somewhere you would want to work so they are under just as much pressure as you are.