Project Controller Review

Within my day to day role I perform Project Control activities in support of RSAF Tornado (Royal Saudi Air Force). Daily and weekly tasks include monitoring spend on various contracts, updating stakeholders on budget, (both remaining and spent), as well as updating the Integrated Master Schedule by collating inputs from several functions to produce and gain an understanding of performance against budget (in terms of Earned Value) which is then communicated upwards to programme managers and in review.

Within this role I have recently passed and gained accreditation from the APM as part of my degree and development criteria. I have also enlisted on to further training, namely an on-site 'PRENDO' course. This is a 2 day course which simulates the running of a project, with Contract Status Reports (CSR) and reporting to stakeholders to broaden individuals experiences and exposure to real life projects in a safe environment; encouraging mistakes to be made and learnt from in order to aid professional and personal development.

Considering the length of my programme and the exposure that you are likely to achieve, I would state that this programme is enjoyable and worthwhile. In an ideal world the length of the apprenticeship (personally) would not take five years to complete, however, considering all the elements in terms of work and university education required in order to complete I would deem it appropriate.

I would suggest that yes I do feel valued. Currently in my role (and like many others as early apprentices), our roles are not dependent on the success of a project, we are tasked as additional resource in a real business environment in order to learn. Based on this criteria however, I would say that I am valued within the team and by my line manager and work is recognised when relevant.

The structure of my programme is second to none. From the very first day and week long induction, to the continuous development opportunities offered and around the clock support. From my previous experiences and history, no one seems to do it better than BAE Systems. We are encouraged to develop our own networks, whilst also provided with the support when necessary both in and out of work. We are also encouraged to manage our own workloads, but this is also actively managed my line managers and scheme managers.

The college where we study offers support to students whenever they deem it required or necessary. They are willing to come into the workplace in order to assess students against their competencies, and also willing to aid in assignments in class and offer support via email/telephone as and when myself and other degree students and apprentices etc. need it.

I have never been left wanting if I have required support in the past. Any issues are generally resolved within the same day, or at worst, week if escalation is required. Even after the issue has been resolved the support doesn't end there. Regular catch ups, 1to1s etc in order to manage scenarios going forward. 12 week reviews are also scheduled with line managers and scheme managers to catch up on workload, development and general queries.

Considering I do not live in the direct area and have relocated from The Lake District, the salary and package enables me to rent within the area but also maintain my house and pay my mortgage. On top of this I also have enough income in order to participate socially without having to consider any financial impacts and i am able to therefore balance my finances quite well.

We are actively encouraged to seek opportunities if they are of interest to us. Whether this be STEM events, promoting BAE Systems or opportunities to travel to RAF bases or different locations, if feasible, these are made available to us. We are emailed from the HR team about upcoming events in the local area which is nice to be informed about too.

Yes

BAE Systems can offer the right candidate the opportunity to continue their personal and professional development to a limit that they will not know that exists. Since I have been here for almost 2 years, I have been surprised at the extent of opportunities available to someone so young and inexperienced. The pay is really good too compared to getting a full degree elsewhere or even university for example!

In all honesty, just be yourself. There is often a misconception to 'be someone you aren't' within an interview situation. Working with people on a day to day basis requires personable skills. At interview employers will want to see this, as they will want to believe that you are confident in your ability to support others as well as showing a willingness to learn - the rest should take care of itself if this is the case in my opinion