Technical apprentice Review

I bounce around different departments on site currently. I do CAD (Computer Aided Drawing) on a day to day basis, this involes doing calculations adn general problem solving. I also do a lot of testing and checking of equipment that I have designed.

I have learnt a lot of new skills, i came into this apprenticeship with little/no knowledge of electronics and have come a long way since then, as well as technical skills i have also leant a lot about project managment, increased my personal confidence significantly and many other skills.

So far I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience on this apprenticeship learning new skills, new ways of thinking and meeting new people. It also provides me with challenges in which I have to overcome using the training which has been provided to me.

I have only recently joined my current department and with a bit more training related to this area I feel I will be a valued asset. The other departments in which I have worked in prior I felt that I was useful and in some cases actually needed to help them meet deadlines.

Our programme is very structured and is followed by each year's intake of apprentices. We all attend college on day release and spend our 2nd and 3rd years in preogranised placements to get a better view of the company. All of this is logged in our apprentice manual which is review upon change of placement or once every 3 months.

Initialy for the first 2 years you recieve a lot of help/guidance, although in your third year you become more independant and this support becomes less. But they are always there to help when needed, they never stop providing support and help to us all.

Everytime i have needed some support from BAE they have provided it, usually it was just a couple of hours of time to finish some assignments in work however some of the time it was a bit more major then that. Most employees and supervisors understand the difficulty of having to go to college as well as doing work.

My salary is sufficient to keep me afloat from month to month, as anyone would say it would be much nicer to have a higher salary but the salary my employer gives is realistic and most definately not to be turned down, especially in comparison to other apprentice wages.

Yes there are a significant amount of opportunities outside of work, these range from STEM activities with different local schools and business's to getting involved with a engineering institute such as ImechE. We are always encouraged to help out in the areas around the site and community too.

Yes

Due to the structure of the programme and the support available. Also the qualifications that they sponsor you to do are a really good opportunity and are not offered in many places whilst being paid. The company is good and they look after you well too.

If your willing to put in the effort its a great job, you get out what you put in. The flexi hours is great and can make your hours fit around your lifestyle a little easier that a standard 9-5 job. Overall the company cannot be faulted by the way it treats is employees. There is always a step up your able to take. During the apprenticeship there is a lot of work to complete from NVQ, HNC and any other qualifications you undertake, although its all worth it after, if i had to rate the programme overall is would definately get 10/10.