Procurement Engineer Review

My role is a Procurement Engineer. So every day I log onto a system called IFS where I raise purchase orders for spares or repairs of units. I then send the purchase order out to the supplier I manage. Then as time goes on I update the PO. So after sending the PO out I receive a confirmed delivery date of the units so I update this date on the PO. Every month I send out an order book of all the existing orders with that supplier, the supplier then gives me updates on every order, which I use to update the PO with notes. Currently I am responsible for 9 suppliers and have a total order book of roughly 70 lines.

I have developed many skills, I wouldn't say I've learned new ones but just developed my skills further as I was already somewhat had an experience of those skills, for example my communication and confidence have improved massively as I used to be quite a shy person. Now I can give my opinion on matters and engage in formal and non formal chat within my team and even people who I've hardly spoken to before. My communication has improved over the phone as well, as I have to chase my suppliers for updates and solve any issues. Another major skill I've developed is working individually as I am managing my own suppliers it gives me that sense of responsibility and confidence. Also in November I will be undergoing my first exams of the CIPS Qualification for Procurement employees.

The job role I am in currently was the final placement I was in during my apprenticeship. I enjoy this job role thoroughly as it has helped me grow as a person, I have also been given a work package to keep me busy. During my apprenticeship there were some placements I didn't enjoy due to reasons such as not having enough work and one placement where I wasn't sat near the team. There were other placements I did enjoy and the culture of the team was very motivated and helpful. The apprenticeship did meet my expectations as I was provided many different job roles in completely different areas within BAE. Giving me an experience of how different departments within BAE work and increasing my knowledge of BAE as a whole. Overall I have enjoyed my apprenticeship as it has helped me grow as a person which I believe is the best thing about the BAE apprenticeship scheme.

During my apprenticeship and different placements there were times where I was always valued, but sometimes there was times where I seemed like just an apprentice there e.g. I was given work which no one else wanted to do and sometimes didn't have much work to do at all. In my placements whenever I've done good work I did get some appreciation from my manager, in terms of internal/external recognition this was only awarded for an 'amazing' piece of work, for example out the ordinary. Not for work which is really good, these awards had to be beyond that.

The apprenticeship scheme at BAE is well organised and structured. When I first started there was a 2 week induction where our trainers went through presentations on rules and information regarding BAE before we started our first placement. Then throughout the apprenticeship I went on many training courses such as courses to help with the function I was in. We also did a few course at college where we met up with the other apprentices and did presentations etc. The support from the apprenticeship personnel was always there and really helpful as we all had a 12 weekly review meeting with our assessor to review our performance in the placmenet but to also communicate any concerns i may have. One thing that could be improved is that when the apprenticeship personnel put you into a placement, they should first assess what work you will be given in that placement and if it is enough. This way it shows where the apprentice will sit within that team and by knowing what work they'll be doing the assessors will know if they're being valued within that team or not. This way the placements can be tailor to suit an apprentice or determine beforehand if it is a worthwhile placement to put an apprentice in.

Overall the training providers/assessors did provide a lot of support, be it in terms of reviews with ourselves and our managers but also us knowing that they're always there if we have any issues we may encounter. Regarding problems and guidance, I came across a problem where one placement I wasn't getting enough work, so my assessor spoke with my manager and the workload increased slightly (mainly due to the workload in the team being low at times). But then my training provider promised me that my next placement will have enough work to see me through. Their general attitude towards supporting me was always being really helpful and always doing what was best for us and making it an enjoyable experience. I would say I have enjoyed my apprenticeship due to the different experiences, knowledge gained and skills developed.

Regarding the support I receive from my training providers i have talked about that in the above questions. Regarding support from my direct manager really depends what kind of manager you have. At times I was given managers who were really supportive and would go out of their way to help me develop, other times some managers would sit away from my desk and would hardly speak to you, when they would come and speak to you they'd ask how it's going rather than them actually knowing how you're finding it, this is because of how less they'd speak to you. Guidance with problems I never had an issue with as I always knew my training providers/HR team were always there to support me.

The BAE apprenticeship scheme is one of the best paid schemes in England and I completely agree with that. The salary of an apprentice covers a lot of costs such as living and travel costs. As many apprentices are quite young, therefore their costs are quite low. Meaning the salary is exceptional for someone of such a young age. Also throughout the apprenticeship it keeps on rising as we're also getting older and could be gaining more costs.

Outside of work there are a few opportunities, such as whilst I was an apprentice I helped out at a Apprenticeship information evening held at a football stadium, where members of the public would turn up to receive more info on the schemes we have available. There were other opportunities such as Princes trust and football matches. To be honest most of these opportunities didn't appeal to me so I didn't get involved in them, so outside of work I would do my own thing and would be completely non work related.

Yes

BAE Systems is ideal company to have a long career and grow as a person. Even though you're working in one company there's loads of different job opportunites either doing similar work or pushing yourself to become better and even higher in terms of job roles. Every job role you undertake you will always learn new things and develop your skills further. BAE Systems is a global company so there's even opportunities to work abroad if desired. Also another thing on people's mind when applying for jobs is money, even though you shouldn't be money focused in your career but to be quite honest money is the whole reason were working and want even better jobs. The pay at BAE is really good and has room to increase in terms of grades.

When applying at BAE Systems the main advice I would give is to be confident and make sure you show yourself off. The application process questions shouldn't be rushed and you should take you time filling in the details and questions. Then at the interview you need to make sure you show off you skills and why BAE should hire you and not the other hundreds of people applying, make sure you know your answers and also have knowledge about BAE and what they do. What I would have been like to told when I got into BAE is to make sure I push myself as much as I can to be better than everyone else and make your name heard within BAE (in a good way).