Electronic Technician Review

My role generally involves me helping others within the various departments I am placed in. One day I might be helping someone complete a repair on a PCB, whilst another day I might be helping to test a unit. The job's are very diverse on site. I have had roles where I have had to talk to customers, and roles where I have had to go and teach younger audiences about engineering and get them interested. My roles on site aren't just limited to my department, and I am involved in extra curricular activities such as Engineering Taster Week.

I have developed a very good understanding within electronics, and I have learnt a variety of new skills. One of these skills is the ability to solder to a IPC standard, whilst other skills are now being able to build a PCB including the schematic, and actual PCB design. I also now know what it requires to make make a functioning circuit, and am now able to create my own personal project because of the knowledge I have picked up.

I do enjoy my programme very much, and I feel there is alot of diversity with roles that I can take up within the company. People on site are generally very supportive, and are aware of my needs as an apprentice which allows me to relax more when I'm completing work on site making the experience all the more enjoyable. The company in some cases exceeded my expectations as I didn't realise there were so many different oppurutnities. At the start of the apprenticeship I felt that there was a limited route for me to go, however now I am on site and settled in I know that if I happen to not enjoy an area of work, theres always the oppurtunity for me to move into a different department which I know I will enjoy and be productive in.

I feel very valued by BAE Systems, and I feel that the company see's the apprentices as valuable people. As an apprentice I am respected like any other person on site, and feel very supported by the teams who work on site. When I was away at the training centre for the first year, there was always an effort for people to come down from the company site and visit us to ensure that we were doing well, and that we are kept safe.

The programme is very well structured. We have a series of meetings at the start of the apprenticeship which helps us understand what working at the company will be like. Training consists of the first year attending a training centre, with a day release to college. In the second year we move onto site and continue with the day release for college. In the third year we are then given the option to move on to the HNC. This layout is very organised as it allows us to get an understanding the of the area of work at the company before we go onto site. Support is provided throughout the site from a multitude of people, ranging from HR who can deal with a variety of issues, aswell your supervisor who usually are willing to help, and all the way through to more personal needs where you can go to the onsite GP for help. Education support is provided with NVQ meetings, who help you to set goals for achievements, and allow you to see how far ahead or behind you are on completing the NVQ side of the apprenticeship.

My training provider was very supportive for the first year, and I always had the help I required. In some cases I felt I was taught more than I need, but even if it was information that was above my level of understanding I always found it interesting, and have found it to help me more on site down the line. The tutors were very friendly, and to an extent I feel the whole group saw them more as friends than tutors because of how easy they were to talk to.The first year of the apprenticeship was easily the most enjoyable part of the apprenticeship so far. The accessiblity for support was easy enough as the tutors were always available and ready to tackle any problems.

I receive plenty of support from my employer. My manager is friendly, and is always ready to listen to any problems we have, whether it be personal problems that we may need support with or problems on site or with college. The HR team are very pro active, and are awlays ensuring that we are in safe hands. The mentors for college are for the most part okay, and being with the IET there is always access to content we need. The attitude towards us is that we are treated as employees, but are also expected to make more mistakes than other due to the fact we are still learning.

The salary package is great as it is more than most employers offer, however I wouldn't say it's a wage that you coudl easily live off. We get around 14K in the second year, which is enough to support my travel, but If I were living by myself it wouldn't be enough for me buy food and pay for rent. Being in the southern area of the U.K. housing is much more costly, so it would be harder to get rent on this wage. However I feel this is expected as you join the apprenticeship knowing what wage you will get, and you are not forced to join the apprenticeship.

There are a few oppurtunities outside of work with big events like World Skills which is a big competition where big companies compete against each to beat one another at completing certain electronic based tasks in a set amount of time. There are also clubs you can go to outside of work time such as yoga classes, dance classes, and combat classes. We also get discounts on many things including gyms, so we can go to the gym after work for a reduced cost.

Yes

I have already recommended it to a friend who was considering university. I told him that he has a good chance of securing a job if he joins the apprenticeship, and that the wage and will only go up due to the fact its an engineering job. theres deffinitely a good path you can take through the company, and even if you feel job isn't for you, you have gaine dplenty of skills that you can take to another company.

If you were to apply for the company I would say be positive, and show a keen interest in the job. The company is very selective on who it takes in for the scheme, and theres no point joining if you dont show interest. When it comes to NVQ and other assessments you need to keep on top of them and stay focused. We have had plenty of oppurtunities especially with going away for a week with the company, which is something most companies don't offer. I would like to have been told how to manage my money better in more details, as that is something I struggle with greatly!