Combat Systems Higher Apprentice Review

My role at BAE is a combat systems higher apprentice. Currently I am doing a six month work experience placement on a networking team within the business. On this team my main roles are to help with the configuration and testing of networking equipment that is being designed for our customer.

I have completed a HNC and I am now completing a HND, both of which are in Computer and systems design. This course has helped me develop skills in computer programming and networking. There are also internal BAE courses I have taken for programming, mainly in the C# language. I have also completed vendor qualifications for Linux, Security+ and Juniper.

I really enjoy the program. The teams you get to work with are all friendly and the products that are being developed for the MOD are interesting too. There is also a strong social aspect at the company and various sports and social clubs are available to join. This helps everyone get to know different colleagues and integrate into the team.

I feel extremely valued by BAE. The company really value early careers and there are recognitions awards available to high achievers such as the "Apprentice of the year" award and "Above and beyond" awards. For the apprentice of the year awards, winners are invited to an awards ceremony where they are joined by other winners and guest speakers.

The program is well structured and has kept close to what was initially explained to us when we started. There was a dedicated 3-day induction at the start of the scheme too. Mentors are also available for anyone who wishes to have one. These can provide guidance to apprentices and it is also a good way to introduce yourself to colleagues higher up in the business.

There is adequate support from tutors at the college. They are usually always around college if you need to ask them any questions. The majority of the teachers are always happy to help anyone looking for guidance. However, as with most higher education courses don't expect to just be spoon-fed answers as the teachers do expect students to do their own research and referencing etc.

The company has a strong emphasis on looking after employees and there a numerous benefits such as flexi time that can be utilised by employees. There are also dedicated support helplines should anyone need them and a 24/7 firstcare service which allows an employee to report if they are sick which is useful.

The cost of living in and around London is quite expensive, therefore it feels as though the wage isn't particularly high. However in perspective we do have a very competitive salary for apprentices and it just means a bit of budgeting is required. However, if you work in the New Malden office there are good train links into London at a reasonable price.

The company has various sports and social clubs available to employees. At New Malden the BAE social group offer opportunities to attend events such as theatre shows regularly and at a cheaper rate. There is also a summer and Christmas party held by the group. Within the New Malden town there are also a couple of gyms, tennis clubs and 5a side football facilities within 5-10 minutes of the office.

Yes

The company really backs its early careers schemes and for this apprenticeship in particular they allow us to gain a HND and various vendor qualifications all whilst being paid a reasonable wage. The business also looks after its employees and everyone who works here seems to enjoy the fairly relaxed atmosphere in the office as well as the social aspects outside of work.

The main thing is to be honest about your skills and what you would want out of the course. There is no point joining the course if computing is not something you enjoy as the college workload can be quite daunting at times. For assessment centres, again just be honest with the assessors as they can usually tell if people are lying in interviews. Also make sure that you have done some good background research on the company and what they do.