Business Technician Review

The apprenticeship that I applied for is Business Technician apprenticeship which specialises in Logistics. It is a three year course, where the first two years I get to experience all different departments and the final year I will spend a year within the logistics department. Also included in the final year, a month placement at the headquarters in Munich, which is in Germany. BMW Logistics teams are vitally important in all areas of the business, including Programme Planning, Logistics Planning, Material Control and Logistics Operations. They are responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the Logistics Supply Chain are met and ensure that Hams Hall can produce engines on time in line with customer requirements. As a BMW apprentice I attend college on a day release basis, and will undertake work based placements at BMW Plant Hams Hall. Training includes the study of modern technology, state-of-the-art engineering production techniques and problem resolution techniques. At the minute, I am working within Material Control, learning the role of Container Control.

I will gain a Foundation Degree in Business and Education Management which I can then go on to complete as a full degree. I go to Aston university on a two weekly basis. I have also gained an NVQ Level 2 and 3 in Business and Administration. There are many skills I am learning constantly and I am also buildinh daily on the skills I had before BMW. I have to communicate daily with suppliers and internal colleagues.

I really enjoy working at BMW and in the logistics team I am in. I feel that I have a lot of responsibility, but this is what I wanted. My team are very helpful and we all get on very well. I like Hams Hall as a whole and everybody is willing to help me succeed. I am very happy that I applied at BMW and i think, hopefully, i will be able to go a long way with working for the company.

I feel like a part of the BMW group now and I am happy to be working here too! Hams Hall is a great place to work and I have felt very priviledged to go and visit the headquarters in Munich as this put into prospective how big the company actually is and that really im such an insignificant part of it although i really feel valued by members of staff and my employer as well.

The programme is very well structed and I am definitely where I wanted to be when I started so I am very happy. The university and NVQ programme fits in well with a full time job here and I have had a lot of support to be able to do it all as well without getting too stressed and anxious. I have learnt a lot from going around different departments and have also enjoyed the variety of work.

I had a lot of help through my university time and all the tutors/advisors were very helpful. As we are distant learners we were always able to email our tutors about any problems we had or help we needed with our work, which was good. I enjoyed university quite a lot and meeting new people there as well since i have new friends i can talk to and hang out with. This was always good with supporting each other too.

I receive a lot of help from my team and manager. They are always willing to help me with anything I need. If I have an issue, I can go to any of them and they will guide me in the right direction. I received help through my apprenticeship with my training advisor but as I didnt have many problems, I probably didnt meet with my training advisor as much as I should have. Sometimes I only had contact when I had a general 6 monthly review.

My salary at BMW is very good for an apprenticeship wage. It is way above minimum wage for an apprentice which is lower than the national minimum wage for full time employees. I live about 30 miles away from Hams Hall which means I spend a lot on petrol but i have the opportunity to drive a brand new BMW/mini which is really good and also provided by the company too.

There are many opportunities which you can undertake. I have been involved in both Hams Hall family days and this is good for your family to see how BMW looks after their employees. I also have had the chance to go to many different schools in order to talk about my apprenticeship. When I was offered a position about BMW, we went on a week away to team build and this involved water sports, obstacle courses etc.

Yes

I am gaining brilliant experience and earning money whilst gaining a degree and national vocational qualifications. BMW is an international company who is doing very well in the market they are in. I have been able to travel to Austria and Germany whilst in my apprenticeship too. I would say it's definitely worth applying too as the qualifications you get are second to none and the experience is great as well.

There are four steps to becoming a BMW apprentice. You need to apply online on the BMW website. You will then be asked to do some online testing which will be marked and you will progress onto the next stage if successful. There is then an assessment centre which is undertaken at the chpsen plant and then a final interview stage. This is a lengthy process but very worthwhile as even if you aren’t successful in the end you will learn a lot from this process. A lot of companies are now taking the same approach to their interview process. You need to know the company very well.