Commercial Apprentice Review

I am a Business Apprentice currently in my second placement. i work in Training and Services as a Commercial officer. In my role i deal with contracts between ourselves and Internal areas like Combat Air, F-35 etc. Common tasks are to update contracts by increasing the validity or up issueing additional budget. I have to communicate with the project team who will send directives requesting that we make amendments to a contract in the form of a Works Authorisation. I also have to monitor our Tier 1 contracts spreadsheet. This role involves me checking that the contracts we currently own are still in date. If they are not then i will have to create a Works Authorisation to update the validity or close the contract down.

The apprenticeship gains you an NVQ level 3 in Business administration and also a BTEC unit in Project Management. We also complete a Customer service qualification and Techinical Certificate. I have completed an introduction to estimating training course. The skills i have learnt since starting the apprenticeship are vast. I have improved my communication skills be having to deal with customers and other functions in the business. I have improved my organisation skills as i have been given my own tasks to manage. I have also improved my IT and excel skills as we attended an Excel training course. I have also become more confident in my own abilities and improved my leadership skills. These have improved due to being given a task to by the co-ordinator for our team on my own project. I had to distribute roles and monitor the teams progress.

When the work is frequent i really enjoy my work. I am involved in so many varying tasks. The two teams I have worked in have both been very supportive and welcoming. They have helped me settle into the company and made my feel like I have made a difference. I was unsure of what an apprenticeship with BAE Systems would be like so I didnt know what to expect. But I can tell you so far it has been fantastic and I would advise everyone to consider it as an alternative to further education.

The recognition i have received in my short time has been overwhelming, i have never felt short of praise. I have had work sent to the head of department on a few occasions and received exceptional feedback. When I have been involved heavily in tasks I have been given a lot of responsibiltiy which i have thrived in. I feel BAE Systems is big on seeing the development of apprentices so yes I believe that I am valued very highly here.

On a whole the programme is very well set out, you have the chance to gain experience in a variety of placements. However i do feel that your time in each placement is relatively short. It seems just as I feel like im making the job my own, we have to move on and start a fresh. The support from our trainers has been brilliant. They are always available and happy to deal with any problems you may have. In my first placement I was kept very busy and i had a variety of tasks that i had to manage. Whereas in my second placement it has been alot slower and i have been less involved so the task delegation varies.

My tutor has been excellent, she is very supportive and is happy to deal with problems. The training i have received has been very beneficial and I feel that it has helped me in my daily role.

The support has been excellent in both placements. Everyone i have dealt with in the company has been happy to give me advice and support.

The salary is what you expect from an apprenticeship. I earn enough to live off however i do live at home. Travel costs arnt too bad because i currently work at Warton which is only 20 minutes away.

Yes, i have signed up to the ambassador programme and have been invited to join in with alot of different programmes.

Yes

I would recommend BAE Systems because i believe the company gives you a great opportunity to grow as a person. You gain valuable skills that you cannot get from further education. It is a great company that cares about apprentices and is willing them on to develop. This company gives back what you put in.

Show that you are commited and eager to learn. Make sure your ambitious but also grounded. Learn about what the company offers and tell the company why they should employ you, what makes you stand out amongst the other applicants.