Apprentice Review

My role at the minute as an apprentice is to attend college, with a view to start work at the Siemens training centre on the 15th May 2017. At college I attend at 9 am every day, except Friday, where I start at 10. On a day to day basis I am required to learn the content of a number of different units within the specification, and then complete assignment work regarding the information I have learnt. I usually complete some research of my own into the subject, so that I can have a better understanding of the topic being taught. These assignments must be completed within a time period, and any re-work must also be submitted within a set amount of time. I have daily interactions with my fellow apprentices and also with my teachers.

I have not learnt any new skills as such in relation to learning techniques and styles, as I joined this apprenticeship straight from 6th form, so it is all still fresh in my head. I have however developed a number of skills such as teamwork and communication skills, which have been developed over interacting with the other apprentices and helping each other with any work (or other) related problems which we may have. Group work tasks have also helped to develop these skills. I will receive a Level 3 qualification in Engineering at the end of the apprenticeship.

I have found this programme very helpful and enjoyable, due to the fact that the course content is interesting, and keeps your attention. This helps me to enjoy my learning, as I do not dread coming to college every morning, I quite look forward to it. Furthermore, the support which is offered by the teaching staff is very good, as they are always ready to help with work and answer any questions which I may have.

I feel like although we are not actually at the Siemens site, we are still recognised as Siemens employees. At points throughout the 9 months at college there have been times where I have perhaps felt a little disconnected from the company, but that is understandable due to the fact that we are not actually on site. Weekly meetings with our line manager has helped to make us feel more connected, and meeting the trainers who we will be with in the training centre also helped us feel more connected.

The structure of the programme is well organised for me, and I feel like there are lots of opportunities to get your work done well within the time limits or deadlines. Throughout the year, the work has been given to us at a steady pace, allowing us to plan out and complete the work based on hand in deadlines, however towards the end of the year, in some units there was a bit of a rush to finish which led to slightly un-organised teaching and marking, however this was only in the minority of subjects.

As I have previously mentioned, the support which is offered by the teaching staff at the college is very good, and they are able to answer any questions which are posed to them. They also point you in the right direction on any work if you become confused.

Weekly meetings and reviews which are carried out with our line manager help us to feel connected to Siemens. Our employer is good at dealing with any problems or issues which are experienced whilst we are at college. Siemens staff help by offering us solutions to help us solve any problems which we may have. They are also in constant contact with our course leader at college, so any issues or concerns which we have can be easily brought up.

As I am only 19, my salary more than meets the costs of having a car and paying board and insurance. As I am living at home I do not need to pay for any household bills.

At this current time, I am not aware of any exterior opportunities available. This is however due to the fact that I am only just about to leave college, and I have not had much work place experience with the company yet. Any opportunities will be highlighted as I progress through my apprenticeship.

Yes

I feel like this company is very successful and well known, and I know that there is lots of opportunities to branch out and work your way up the ladder within the company so to speak. Although I am only 9 months into a 4 year apprenticeship, from what I have experienced so far, Siemens is a very respectable and enjoyable company to work for.

The advice that I would give to people applying to Siemens would be to be confident and sure of yourself, as this shines through in interview stages. You should be confident on what you are saying, and it is helpful to have completed previous team building courses or programs such as NCS. During the application process I was kept up to date as to how I was progressing by the Siemens staff, and the thorough application process shows you how serious the company are at finding apprentices who will work hard and give their all.