Apprentice Technician Review

Our role as an apprentice changes depending on which section we are on. At the moment we are in the Training Centre, and there are numerous sections. My first section was mechanical fitting where we made a tool box, a drill block (assessment piece), and a drill drift. Then I moved onto CAD where we designed 3 assessment pieces. After that we went onto the aircraft section where we took parts off the Tornado jet in the building and put them back on as well as many other activities on it. Then we moved onto machining where we did milling and turning, we made a G-Clamp on milling and a plumb-bob on turning. I went onto the electrical section after that where we practised circuits on copper stripboard and carried out 2 assesment pieces on that, followed by designing a ring main circuit on wooden board as another assessment piece. The final section that I am on now is aircraft fitting where we use aircraft grade aluminium to make 2 assessment pieces which are an access panel and a butt strap.

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. Overall I hope to increase these skills during my time at BAE.

This Apprenticeship programme is really enjoyable as its a way to get you into a great career, while meeting new people and learning new skills. I moved away from home for this apprenticeship, but it couldn't have been made easier with the support of the company and other apprentices/BAE employees.

As a BAE employee, you feel valued a lot of the time. Your always kept in the loop with new ideas and changes, and your opinion is always wanted. Occasionaly you may be pushed to the side as your an apprentice, but this isnt done in a bad way, only when a priority task needs completing which you do not have the sufficient knowledge/experience to complete.

It is well organised in most areas, however I think some improvements could be made. For example induction course at the start was very repetitive and there was a lot of waiting around. Maybe this could have been compacted into a shorter time period? Also, the aircraft section I feel was too short, we only had 3 days on it, I think at least 2 weeks would have been more beneficial to us so we could learn more and take our time when carrying out jobs on it.

In the majority of lessons I have received the support I need. During the pipework rotation I did not feel supported by the tutors and they were often unapproachable. There is not enough time to complete the assessments which meant our whole class had to come back in our own time, which often meant the workshop was overcrowded and there was not enough tutor support as required.

Every time 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. If i need more help in my day-to-day tasks i know i will be given it from BAE, either my supervisor of fellow co-workers.

For the first year the salary did not meet my costs, i was working full time and for below 'classical' minimum wage. This wage was still significantly higher then the apprentice minimum wage however. That however is not a surprise due to the fact that we were in college full time in the first year. The salary since however has been rising rapidly and i can now comfortably live off of it.

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 also often given opportunities to get involved in local charity work for partnered charities.

Yes

Primarily because it is a great company to work for, they encourage personal development and genuinely believe that apprenticeships are the future, they also foster a great work/life balance with new flexible working systems. They will give you lots of help and advice and you will meet some really nice people at BAE Systems too so i couldn't recommend it more.

Apply with plenty of time to spare so you can double check your application form. Check there are no spelling errors in your application form. Prepare for you interview by reseaching the company thoroughly. Try your best and keep calm during the interview. Focus on the online tests. If you do all that, then with a bit of luck there should be no reason for you not to get through.