Apprentice Designer Review

My job title is Apprentice Electrical Designer. So far in my apprenticeship I have worked with 2 different teams working on completely different things. My first team day to day tasks including working with one member of the team investigating pieces of electrical equipment, positioning them and finding out what their purpose was and why they were placed where they were in a CAD model. My second team has had much more variety I have worked at modelling pieces of equipment and creating drawing packs from the model I created, and also making changes and updates to existing drawings.

I have learnt many new skills, The Company has offered a wide range of qualifications which I will have gained by the end of my apprenticeship, as well as the opportunity to take other course like first aid and even STEM ambassador courses. They are also very eager on offering professional training in all the different CAD systems that are used in the business. The scope of work I have carried out in both teams have given me lots of opportunities to speak to a lot of different people with regards to specific jobs, therefore I feel my communication skills have really excelled since the start of the apprenticeship.

The work I have carried out so far has been extremely interesting, there is always some variety. The teams also have been very friendly and welcoming, making work life much easier and enjoyable. Sometimes however, the work given does feel tedious and as though it has been given to me due to lack of willingness to complete it from other members of the team, fortunately this has not happened often. Also, waiting in between jobs can take a long time as teams expect you to take longer than you do for simple jobs so work isn't always lined up to do.

With the teams I have worked with so far and the work that I have completed for these teams, I feel like I have been a valued member of the team itself and contributed greatly to BAE systems. However, sometimes it does come across that "we are only apprentices" and the work we do isn't as valued as that of another person.

The structure of the apprenticeship with regards to academics and college is very well structured and organised, it is made clear what will be done and what qualifications will be acquired throughout the apprenticeship. The onsite aspect of the apprenticeship is not as well structured. Placements often vary in size some being significantly longer than others, I feel it would be much more beneficial if they were capped at a certain time period and all were the same size, as the shorter placements often seem to go to quick and as you become used to the team and confident in working the time comes to move on.

The training provider offers some support. The college do not provide much additional support for those struggling that comes more so from line managers on site. They do offer help and guidance when prompted by individuals for small amounts of aid and help to learn things for assignments and exams however, it is fairly minimal.

With regards to placements and college lots of support is given from the employer. Regular 12 week reviews allow you to confide in your line manager for any support that you feel you may need. All the people who help you throughout the apprenticeship are very good at making you feel comfortable and welcome to confide in them with any issues you may have with regards to work or even personal issues, and will always help out or point you in the right direction for help.

The salary I receive is very good at meeting all my financial demands. However, I think with the number of young apprentice's financial help and support would be extremely beneficial, as to most apprentices this is there first properly paid job and they are becoming more and more independent, as there apprenticeship progresses.

There are many opportunities outside of work, particuarly where the apprentice council is involved. They host many charity events outside of work, these help a lot with networking and getting to know other fellow apprentices. In the local area lots of leisure/sports clubs offer special deals for employees of BAE, therefore making these clubs much more appealing to apprentices and employees.

Yes

For apprenticeships I would highly recommend BAE systems to other people. The qualifications you recieve along with the experience you gather makes you an extremely good candidate for further development and in the future to other companies an excellent candidate for jobs and roles.

For interviews/assessment days I would advise lots of research to be carried out into the business and the particualr site you are being interviewed for. During assessments make sure to get involved and get everyone else in the group involved as well, listening to others ideas and trying to figure out ways to incorporate them into final decisions. Finally, when starting the apprenticeship go in with an open mind, particuarly for design apprentices with the "choice" of the different disciplines it works in your favour if you are open minded and don't get your heart set on one particular area to work in.