Apprentice Design Engineer Review

I am an Apprentice Signalling Designer in the Rail Automation sector of Siemens, the program consists of one acedemic year at college studying a BTEC Level 3 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering which continues on day release in year 2 of the apprenticeship. On the other 4 days of a working week you are learning on the job in the office, carrying out design work. I am working on the Thameslink Programme at the moment. Siemens fully support voluntary overtime on weekends to go on site withe the Testing or Installation teams. In the third year, Siemens support you to move onto a HNC in Electrical and Elelectronic Engineering which is comepletely funded by the company. You are sent on many training courses around the country with food and accomodation paid for.

I am coming to the end of my BTEC Level 3 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering where I am predicted to achieve a Distinction overall and will be moving onto a HNC course this coming September. I have completed numerous training courses, such as Emergency First Aid and some much more technical training courses such as CAD/Cab-i-Net, Basic Signalling Technology and Mod5 which teaches you to assist in the testing of railway signalling. I also have more courses booked in the form of Intermediate Signalling Technology and Relay Route Interlocking.

I thoroughly enjoy my programme. Although it is known to the design team that my ambitions one day lie outside of the design office and outside with the installation team, I am fully supported with this and I am given the oportunity to work with installation voluntarily on weekends. I do still enjoy the design aspect and I believe it will be a very good experience to have should I move to Installation in the future.

You are made to feel very valued in this job, you are treated the same as any other member of the team and you are given plenty of work to complete and learn from, if you ever require help, there are always people around to support you and pass on their knowledge. Siemens definitely do value younger people and do invest heavily in their future by sending you on many training courses etc.

The day I arrived, I received a thorough induction on safety and I was introduced to the team. Although for the first couple of weeks they didn't seem ready for us and previous years were not structured particularly well and often didn't have much to do, after a few changes and a handbook was created outlining the targets for each year of the apprenticeship, thing have become much better and work has picked up, apprentices are now given lots of work and a mentor to help them complete it. The training schedule was very well set up and it means everyone gets the same training at the same points of their apprenticeships. If people take an interest in any further training then they are supported in carrying this out.

The amount of support I receive depends on the task I have been asked to carry out and whether I have done something similar before. When the assisstance is required however, there is always someone there ready to help you out and teach you what they know, you only have to ask.

The amount of support I receive depends on the task I have been asked to carry out and whether I have done something similar before. When the assisstance is required however, there is always someone there ready to help you out and teach you what they know, you only have to ask.

The salary is extremely good for an apprenticeship although they have lowered the wages! I'm not entirely sure why. I do think however, more support should be given for the travel costs, over a third of my wages before tax go on my annual season rail ticket. Although a loan scheme does exist so you pay the company back monthly, you still end up taking home less than half what you earned after tax and travel. I would like to see some sort of agreement to assist towards train travel to be introduced.

Yes there are many company events outside of work. Last year the company were so impressed with the apprentices that they took all apprentices and trainees for a day out Go Karting. Voluntary weekend over time is supported by the company as is extra training courses.

Yes

I think the training is very good, every apprentice is valued and highly invested in, voluntary overtime for experience is supported and it can lead to a very good high paying job.

You will carry out an online test and then an interview is the next stage. The wages have dropped so are quite low now but still better than your average apprenticeship.