Technician Review

My Job Title is an Advanced Engineering Apprentice Technician. My daily tasks vary vastly depending where I am working as the scheme operates on four month placements as a structure. I am almost always working alongside professional engineers to understand the roles and essentially be a knowledge sponge. My daily interactions can vary from oother apprentices, to aspirational college students, to sector directors and chief engineers. Externally I attend careers evenings hosted by the company which promote the scheme to those who may be interested in applying. Responsibilities, the teams we work in often pass on a notable amount of responsibility and it's an amazing driver to feel like a valued member of the team who can be relied on to deliver quality work. I have been involved in a nine month enrichment activity where a team of six apprentices independently deliver a project from start to finish. Depending on my role I could be working on aircraft, to designing parts, to supporting in-service aircraft.

I have gained a level three BTec in Aeronautical engineering and have completed my first year HNC in the same subject, with a view to attaining my HND and hopefully a full degree with honours. Internally I have undertaken various training activities from cadmium corrosion awareness to six sigma yellow belt training. Externally we have had an interactive respect and banter course as well as diversity and inclusion workshops. Personally I have matured and am more confident in my personal capabilities, from conducting myself in a mature way with my colleagues to managing my work-life balance. Professionally, I have developed my leadership, team-working, and time management skills incredibly. As well as learning how to operate various software packages and using traditional trade skills and advanced manufacturing techniques. I have learnt a lot about myself, the company, and the role we play in the global market.

I enjoy the work as it is varied and interesting and practically every day is different. I work in a team made up of professional engineers, project managers and senior staff which is a huge leap from the world of Bargain Booze I came from, and a s such I couldn't be happier. The company culture is world class, everyone knows exactly what they're doing all the time, and the support stuctures around each employee is second to none. This scheme met and exceeded my expectations of what the world of work could be, it's a pleasure to wake up every morning knowing hat my day is going to be exciting and satisfying, and in comparable terms we have it made for us. This is the place to be. I am still enjoying the scheme and am looking forward to becoming part od the BAES professional staff.

I feel appreciated by my manager usually upon completion of a job which makes the whole process feel worthwhile. However as an apprentice it is nice to be recognised for our approach to the work and our ethic as we do not usually possess the technical knowledge right away. Internally, I was recognised at the UK apprentice of the year awards and was highly commended by the judges for my role in the project mentioned above, so the internal recognition is excellent. Externally there are opportunities available to some to work through national apprentice recognition events but these are few and far between and only a select few usually get external recognition. I myself have been involved in a project outside of my day to day placement work which has been the making of me, this kind of opportunity and journey is not something that comes along every day and I am grateful that I got to be a part of it. I have been valued by maybe ninety percent of the people I have encountered, which I feel is an exceptionally high number.

We receive what is essentially a one year induction where we acquire some foundation skills that set us up for manual roles within the company and tick off a level two NVQ for us. We had site inductions before working on site and each placement has their own induction process too. The training is world class and passively completes a level three NVQ, all we have to do is write about what we've done. The support is excellent when used, but I feel sometimes it is not well represented, however as soon as this was raised with one of the training team, they diligently ensured that awareness was raised. Studying is difficult, it's hard having to weave in a degree level academic qualification with a level three NVQ and starting a new job every four months, it's straining and can sometimes be hard to make time for the things we work for like family and friends, however this promotes personal development. All in all the scheme is incredibly well structures, everything is clear to us and set out ahead of us for us to see.

We meet with our apprentice assessor a minimum of once every twelve weeks to catch up and review our progress against NVQ criteria. It's a valuable session where you really get to know the person that is looking after you. They are always available for you if anything is needed. And as most assessors are well experienced in the company, their ability to guide you through issues and taking the appropriate attitude is exceptional. I don't particularly enjoy receiving support but it is nice to have someone there to guide you through the new experiences and issues we encounter.

Managers usually check in daily to make sure we're on track and doing okay, the apprentice HR team are the most approachable and helpful people I have ever met, the mentors I have had have all been exceptional in their delivery of learning and patience when I don't quite grasp something or ask questions continuously. Accessibility is good, we know where to go. As everyone around has some or loads of experience in practically every field of anything you could think of, the guidance and general attitude is encouraging.

I live at home and drive an old car, the locations of sites is difficult but that's why the car is there. All in all it has been difficult to keep everyone happy on my salary, but I didn't expect to live like a king when I joined the apprenticeship. It may suit those who are leaving school etc. but as someone who is a bit older it can be difficult to meet outstanding commitments and I have had to take up night work from time to time. In comparison to other apprenticeships (excluding graduate level) the salary is very competitive and I'm sure 90% of people are making do just fine.

Company events are somewhat difficult, when there is an arms showcase in Saudi Arabia it is difficult to get involved, the apprentice football match on the other hand is just around the corner. Opportunities provided by work outside of work are good, however we are usually still on the clock when doing these events so I suppose they're not outside of work. Working with a cohort of other apprentices is probably the biggest contributor to external opportunities, you get to know what they do and see them outside of work. Voluntary initiatives, we did these in the first year, but again that was within works time as are most od the consideration points.

Yes

It is a large company that pays well and will keep you interested in what is coming next for a very long time, what more could someone want.

The application process is rather drawn out as it tends to be for this kind of scheme. Start by compiling your application form, they want to get to know the person through your words, not just; "my name's tim and I like hangin out with my mates" or "I am a good teamworker beacuise I work well in teams", something more like "I believe my ability to work in a team can be shown through my experience of having to come together with a skilled group of musicians to pull off a professional performance within a small time frame, we therefore had to plan, prioritise and practice very efficiently and get on with each other" for example. Following the application process there are some basic psychometric tests which are done online. If these are passed you will be invited to interview and asked to bring a project to talk about. This project does not need to be all singing and dancing, it needs to be something which you can come across as passionate about and knowledgeable about. I took in some photos of a breadboard I made at college that didn't even work, but I could talk for hours about it. After that you get an offer or you don't, if you do you go through a very basic health screening and apply for your security clearance, then start in September. You'll be taught everything you need and it's a generally relaxed atmosphere when you first start so it is nothing to worry about at all.