Apprentice Machinist Review

I am just about to enter the 4th year of my apprenticeship, I am shop floor/manufacturing based and my job consists of mass producing turbocharger components for the assembly line to build. Currently I do not work independently - I am always shadowing somebody or working alongside them. I am still rotating around the different manufacturing departments within my company. I operate CNC lathes and milling machines on a daily basis.

Since starting my apprenticeship I have gained lots of skills and qualifications. I have learned how to operate both manual and CNC machinery, as well as earn a Level 3 NVQ, Level 3 BTEC and I am also currently studying for a Level 4 HNC. I have also done various internal training courses covering things such as health, safety and treatment of others. To add, I have also done external training courses through this apprenticeship as I have also attended courses at the college where I study.

I thoroughly enjoy working for Cummins and I am aware of how lucky I am to have done an apprenticeship with them. The apprenticeship met my expectations fully and the culture within the company is very good.

I feel very valued here at Cummins as they go to great lengths to look after their apprentices and they appreciate the fact that apprentices are the future of the company - hence, they allow us to get as many qualifications as possible out of the apprenticeship.

The structure of the apprenticeship is very organised and we are always informed about upcoming meetings and department rotations well in advance. We are also offered lots of support for our qualifications - this includes been entitled to a certain amount of study time each week to get on with our college work. Not to mention, work also provide us with a maths tutor to assist with the mathematics section of our HNC course.

I receive lots of support from my training provider and I have a good relationship with the tutors there as I spent the first 12 months of my apprenticeship based at College learning basic machining skills. I still attend college one day a week to work towards my HNC qualification, therefore I am still in weekly contact with my training provider.

My employer gives me lots of support and has done for the entirety of my apprenticeship. If I ever have any issues or problems then assistance is very easily accessible and I have not yet come across a problem that I couldn't receive help for. It is in the best interest of my company to ensure that the apprentices do the very best they can do, and we have monthly reviews to ensure we are happy with the way that things are going.

The salary for apprentices is very good at Cummins, and apprentices are rewarded with the 'Apprentice Merit' wage if they get all their work done by the within 3 years. Personally, my travel costs are quite high but that is because I live in a different area to where my company is based, thus I have a longer commute. The coffee machines and canteen prices are also priced reasonably.

There are often opportunities to do Careers Fairs outside of work to help promote the apprenticeship scheme to anybody who may be potentially interested. We also do lots of voluntary work within the local community to make it a better place to live, this includes litter picking, dry stone walling, painting schools and so on. The company allowed every employee to do as many hours as they want within the local community to make it a better place to live.

Yes

The company is excellent to work for, they look after their employees and there are lots of good perks with the job such as a very good salary, yearly bonuses, short working week (35 hours) and the list goes on. From spending the first 12 months full time at college and working in the same workshop as hundreds of other apprentices from loads of other companies. I got an idea of how other companies were treating their apprentices and it became very clear to me that I was lucky to work for a company as good as Cummins.

Ensure you achieve good GCSE grades. Be confident and well spoken within the interview, they will also test you with some kind of group activity so try and get involved and take part the best you can. Try and achieve the best grades you can in the college courses you get put on, as the company will appreciate this since they pay all your course fees for you. I cannot think of anything that I would have liked to have been told prior to the apprenticeship as there was plenty of information available and I do not remember having any outstanding questions.