Combat Systems Higher Apprentice Review

As a Combat Systems Higher Apprentice you can be tasked with various jobs, from designing a network topology and implementing it to creating reports. I always converse with my placement manager to make sure the correct tasks are being done and updating them on progress. Every day is varied, no day is the same as one day I will be writing reports for a project and carrying out risk assessments and another day I will be testing in the lab or installing new equipment. There are many opportunities to vary learning.

I have developed many new skills while being on the apprenticeship, knowledge of the company and everything that is involved with the process of a project. Whilst on the apprenticeship I have Gained my CCNA and CCNA Security Qualifications and I am now a TEAM UK member competing in Abu Dhabi in world skills. This has taught me a lot about networking and security, I have developed my soft skills such as time management and team work skills which have been implemented within every team I have been involved with at BAE systems.

I enjoy every aspect of my programme, I do not see it as work, I see it as something I really enjoy doing and can spend all my time on. I have been involved with many teams and the dynamics are always great, they communicate well and guide me to where I want to be. My expectations were met straight away as personal development was a key factor which was progressed from the beginning which I enjoy the most because I constantly want to improve.

I feel very valued as I have received praise from many members of the company, my line manager and engineering managers. I have been recognised around the company for doing well and accomplishing a lot. This has helped me to get involved with many projects and interesting areas of the company.

The programme is structured well, we have a great induction to the company and they provide all the training we need in order to develop as good employees. However, I found the 1st year of the programme had some wasted time as we spent 5 days at college, this meant some days were not used as much as they should be. I would have preferred at least one day a week in the company so we were introduced to the business and would have gained a better understanding. However the support from all the tutors and employees have been amazing, anything we want to gain from the apprenticeship is made possible by them.

I receive the best training and support from my tutor at college, any resource I require or any issues he instantly works on that to help me gain my knowledge. The support has aided me to get the Team UK place for World Skills and I could not have achieved so much without it. I thoroughly enjoy everything I do as the support is there keeping me to drive on and make everyone proud as well as myself.

my manager is always there to help support me in every step of my apprenticeship. As my manager is part of the HR team they always know the correct guidance which has help greatly with any issues or requests I have. Any problems I have had so far have been easily resolved through my manager as they have given me the correct steps.

At the moment I am still living at home with my parents as this allows me to save up as much as I can. Travel to work and socialising is covered by the salary and I am able to have fun at the same time, however if I had moved out it may have been a different story. I am located close to work, on a good day it takes 40 minutes travelling by train. I have absolutely no issues with the salary I have at the moment.

There are always various activities to take part in outside work, Some are open evenings and others are exhibition events to showcase what the business does. I have attending a few of these events and they have been extremely useful as you learn a lot from them as well as showing everything you can do. The key part of these events is inspiration, I enjoy inspiring others to achieve great things and these events allow this to happen. As well as these activities the site I work at hold a social football league at lunch time, every week teams play each other and at the end of the league a winning team is announced. This has been fun as it has allowed me to meet other people in different parts of the business.

Yes

They are a great company who are involved with so much you will defiantly enjoy whatever you do. The development programme allows you to develop any skill and area you wish and the company will support activities such as competitions and qualifications which help you better understand topics.

I would recommend that they fully understand the application process and what the job will entail, make sure you research the company and what projects are currently undergoing. The assessment days aren't just about technical skills, it will test your soft skills such as team work and time management, tasks such as creating a box out of newspaper and problem solving riddles. When applying I would have like to have had a clear understanding of what the course would involve and potentially an idea of what we may be doing in the future, as this would have helped greatly.