Contracts officer Review

My current role is contracts officer for LOA1 (Contract). Daily tasks differ, however in general I write letters to submit to the customer regarding any issues on aircraft and help to support aircraft acceptance. I am also a co-ordinator for the business regarding loans. I interact with the customer, project management and finance daily. Currently, I have the responsibility of managing the acceptance and delivery of the last two aircraft to the customer, then I will be responsible for closing the contract down on behalf of commercial. Daily, the job is mundane and quite boring.

Within my apprenticeship I've been on many different courses, some which will only help me internally (BAE) and some that will come in use outside of the business. Some of these are estimating training courses, understanding the implications of tax, first aid, procurement awareness, road safety, fire awareness and business analysis. Skills that I can use internally that I've learnt whilst in the business have been things such as using certain systems and understanding the business, however I have developed my organisational skills, time management and communication skills.

Currently, I'm not enjoying my programme. I do believe that BAE Systems is a fantastic company to work for, however after being in the business for nearly 18 months on this apprenticeship, I don't believe that it is necessarily as good as many people think. I think the opportunities for apprentices are quite limited and the connotations of the apprenticeship definitely aren't true. Saying that, the support offered to us apprentices and every employee is incredible, which is why I believe BAE is a fantastic company to work for, however maybe not for myself. I cannot see myself working within the company for the rest of my career as I don't enjoy the work.

As previously mentioned, the internal support BAE offer is great, i.e. from managers, central team, HR Early Careers and the apprentice supervisors, therefore I do feel appreciated by them. I also feel like they appreciate my opinions, which is good for them to take on board honest opinions. Personally I don't feel like internal recognition is awarded enough, and I know this is a common opinion throughout the business. Externally, all I now of for apprentices is the completion ceremony, this isn't very well advertised for the company to attend. Saying that, I've had the opportunity to be involved within a number of extra curricular tasks/projects which have developed my skills and allowed me to network throughout the business, so this aspect of the apprenticeship has been great.

The programme is very well structured and organised and provides apprentices with adequate training and exposure to the business. The 2 week induction provided us with a good foot in the door to BAE and as I have previously mentioned, the support from the business is incredible. This includes small things such as occupational health. The mentoring system allows us to have an insight to the business. The only thing I would say could be improved upon is the apprentice Personal Development Plan process. We are told to wright down our aspirations and plan for the future, and this is never looked at by anyone in the business. It is simply left in a folder in our drawers, whereas I believe it should be mandatory for the plan to be exposed like professional employees' plans are.

My training provider gives me such an incredible amount of support. They always offer their services and never seem to busy for annoying, which makes them approachable. We hold regular review session for both health and safety aspects and also to help keep on track towards my NVQ work, which helps a lot.

Please see questions above. To add: I was referred by BAE Systems to a counsellor (provided by BAE occupational health) in order to help me overcome anxiety and for on-going support. The services BAE Systems offered me were great, and I had a fantastic working relationship with the nurse which allowed me to express exactly how I feel. This all stemmed from my training provider pointing me in the right direction when I needed help.

Although I understand that the apprentice wage from BAE Systems is much higher than other apprenticeships, unfortunately for me it doesn't quite cover the costs of travel. I do think that every employee should be assessed on whether or not they should receive a higher travel cost than the standard, as some people live much further away. Besides this, the salary/package meets my costs well.

When I'm not working, I try and attend the gym and dancing classes, however sometimes it's difficult to fit in work, training, gym and dancing. Outside of work the company can give a number of apprentices good things to get stuck into. Such as company events, STEM events (visits to schools to promote apprenticehsips) and charity work, which I believe is a good thing. Further on in certain careers, BAE Systems also provide the opportunity for extra study at university/colleges.

Yes

I'd recommend BAE Systems to a friend because I am sure that if business is 100% the route you want to go down, you should try BAE Systems as it's a great company to work for with great career opportunities. However, for myself, I certainly didn't enjoy coming in from school and the apprenticeship definitely did not meet my expectations; so for that reason I would explain to a school le3aver that college is better to do first then apply for BAE Systems if its something you aspire to do, as I am now thinking about leaving the company, however this will be particularly hard for me as I don't have any A levels to help me find a career that suits me. I don't think that people should knock it until they have tried it.

I'd tell people to thoroughly consider their options, before applying. I'd then advise them to have their application read over, thoroughly, by parents, teachers, or current BAE Systems employees. For online tests, I'd advise them to practice continually online before completing the tests, as this I where A* students can fail. My final piece of advice would be to be confident, unique and grab every opportunity they can get their hands on. Before joining, I would've liked to have been told that you cannot study a business degree before studying 5 years for a functional degree(i.e. CIPS). I'd also like to have been told that you may not always have responsibility and jobs that you consider to be challenging.