Higher Apprentice Review

I am training to be an engineer at Rolls-Royce with a Level 4 NVQ and at least a FdEng in Electrical/Electronic Engineering from Derby University, with the possibility of taking this to a BEng. My daily tasks include coming to work at 8am and carrying out a planned set of operations to complete my appreciation of a manufacturing section and obtaining a Level 2 NVQ. It also involves managing my own career experience as many business opportunities appear and it is my own responsibility to jump on board various projects. For example, I am leading the induction event for all new Rolls-Royce Derby apprentices next year!

Along with a NVQ2 and NVQ4, there have been many training courses designed to improve my personal integrity and knowledge in areas such as driving safely, managing personal finances and more. There are also opportunities such as a German exchange that would allow for other skills to be developed or obtained, like dealing with businesses globally and learning a new language.

The programme is extremely enjoyable for me, as I have had relatively limited opportunities to explore the vast array of activities that engineering relates to - upon joining this scheme I have been presented with many different activities that are compulsory but nevertheless intriguing and interesting. It met my expectations well; however, there is a lot of issues with organisation this year as the company is attempting to become more tech-savvy. Fortunately, this field is something that I am confident in and persons of authority have recognised this, and has given me opportunities to help the apprenticeship scheme with my skills and add value to the apprenticeship.

Whilst it is difficult for such a large employer to provide rewards to apprentices that are putting in the effort, I feel valued by Rolls-Royce plc. The instructors show care and commitment to their students regardless of skill and will never show disappointment - only praise and constructive criticism which powers the drive to improvement and efficiency in operations. The fellow apprentices are all high-calibre which means competition is high, and therefore any form of recognition that is achieved is a reward in itself - as a high achiever I have received a lot of recognition on the technology side from apprentices, instructors and managers. I also worked on a project in a team of four where we coded a new program for another department of Rolls-Royce to streamline one of their processes and the opportunity to perform quality improvement projects like this allows for great feedback and development of skills - making me feel more valuable. In essence, the company is prestigious and consequently all feedback and recognition adds to how valuable I am made to feel.

This is where the apprenticeship is lacking - the attempts to use technology for organisation is good and thorough in the apprenticeship but is poorly executed, resulting in a poor level of organisation that has most likely never been reached before. Upon arriving to work on Monday, there is always uncertainty as to where I am expected to be (as first year apprentices are cycled around various machining sections in the first year) and if I take the time to check where I am, by the time I find out this information I may be late to arrive and consequently disciplined. The programme itself, however, is structured well. Apprentices in the first year are trained about the company and learn basic manufacturing skills that will be strengthened and specialised in later years of the apprenticeship. I believe I know where I am heading.

If I need support, I am confident I will be able to receive it; however, I have not had to ask for support very often. Training instructors are clear and knowledgeable, and managers are easy to get hold of and speak to. I also feel I am listened to and valued.

My manager is often quite busy as there are many things he is responsible for - this can often be a problem if I want to speak to someone spontaneously about a problem I am having. Furthermore, I know that other apprentices with different managers have managers that are less busy, and therefore have more time to commit to assisting their apprentices. Nevertheless, there is a strong HR department that can be accessed at any time whenever I need support with general enquires or IT issues - in terms of emotional support I cannot comment as I have had no experience of requiring support in this field. However, I know who to call if I need this support.

The salary is sufficient and I am building up my pension without noticing the effect on my salary; however, it is not enough to live comfortably on. Living at the centre of Derby allows for a good balance of social life, access to facilities and minimal travel costs; however, around half of my monthly pay goes straight to my rent. On top of that £500, another £200 is taken to living costs and petrol for my car. This leaves another £200 to cover everything else, including going out with friends or saving. In the end, I do not have much money left over to save and have been relying on parents over the last few months as I was involved in a car accident, and was unable to save through work to cover the costs of repair. I am hoping that when I enter my second year I will be saving around £200 a month which I believe is the minimum that a person living away from home should be given.

There is a committee within the company that takes £1 of my monthly pay in exchange for discounts on a range of experiences that I can sign up to partake in. These include sports, casual outings, social events, learning events and more. When I'm not working, at the minute I am usually doing work for my university degree as this is extremely time consuming. In my free time, however, I enjoy playing football with my friends and fellow colleagues, or going on walks in the peaks in the sun!

Yes

The apprenticeship is good and the issues regarding organisation are on the decline thanks to dedicated apprentices pulling their weight in the endless search for improvement. If you're living near Derby now, the apprenticeship is ideal as you will be able to live at home and save a lot of money at such a young age whilst entering a career, getting a degree and being a lot better off than a typical university student.

Take care in managing your own career. If you're a high-performer at school that is great, so long as you were not resting on anyone else to achieve your successes as Rolls-Royce plc will push you to stand on your own two feet and search for your own opportunities. If you can get through the difficult application process and interview, you'll be entering a company that is worldwide. Your friends will gasp when you say you're working for Rolls-Royce, and it's a cool thing to hold to your name when you meet new people but the work itself is normal and comparatively well paid. It's thrown around that having such a prestigious company name on your CV will allow you to get a job anywhere which I believe to be true, and it's an awesome kickstart to your career wherever you choose to go (or whether you settle in for the long game at RR).