Procurement Engineer Review

I am a Procurement Engineer. My daily tasks involve analysing prices recieved from Suppliers, looking at their increase or difference between Nations and if they are acceptable. I am also involved in lots of on-going initiatives around the Support element of Combat Air, such as how we can reduce costs and waste, how we can aggregate demand for certain parts to recieve preferential pricing and how we can develop our relationships with suppliers further. I speak to many people daily both internally and externally, such as Buyers, Executives and Suppliers. I currently support the Typhoon and Tornado projects.

I have gained a number of qualifications through my apprenticeship, such as NVQ Level 3, Customer Service, ECDL and Project Management. I have also developed my communication skills enourmously through my apprenticeship, this has been done by working closely with other people and being moved around placements every 16 weeks. I have had the chance to undertake internal courses into buying, introductions to procurement and also Lean Learning. I have learnt that I am more capable of accepting change than I thought I was.

I enjoy everything about my apprenticeship. The other apprentices I work with will be friends for life. I have had the chance to meet a huge amount of people from all different backgrounds and age groups, something which has been a huge benefit to me. The apprenticeship has met my expectations and gone beyond them, overall a great 21 months!

I feel very valued by BAE Systems, everyone I speak to says how great Apprentices are and how much value we actually bring to the company.This is something that has been shown through the amount of events that go on surrounding apprenticeships and also the sheer number of apprentices the company takes on each year.

The programme I was on was well structured and met my needs. There have been some tricky times but I have always had someone to talk to and share my thoughts with, as well as someone who understands me and can help me to the best of their ability in finding me a great area to work in. The 16 week placements are very good and gave me chance to gain an insight into the different areas around the business.

My training provider has been great - she has been there every step of the way providing support as much as possible. I think that she has made my apprenticeship all that more enjoyable. She has been there offering support and someone to talk to whenever it was needed, such a great help!

Every manager I have had within my apprenticeship has been there to help and provide support when needed. Any issues were ironed out and the placements I have been in have been good. The apprentice co-ordinator for Procurement has been great in finding me suitable placements as well as helping me make the choice into my final job role.

My salary meets my costs well, as went up inrementally in line with progress through my apprenticeship, something which was very valuable. However, I could possibly make use of a higher salary to help me find a house and progress onto the property ladder.

There are a huge array of opportunities available to me outside of the workplace. The apprenticeship offers great chances to take part in lots of events and provides great chances to network outside of my usual workplace.

Yes

I have already recommended BAE Systems to many friends and family members. This is because the apprenticeship is one of the best Nationally and offers great opportunities throught the course. Overall I think the BAE Systems apprenticeship is fantastic!

Ensure that your application form is true, detailed, focussed on the positives and spell checked! Be prepared in the interview - know your stuff about BAE Systems and the type of products/services they provide. Be ready to hit the ground running if successful