Mr Review

Combat Systems Higher Apprentice. Full time at college for the first year (HNC). 2nd & 3rd years we have college 1 day a week and 4 days in the business. In the 4th year we are full time in the business. During College, I would attend lessons and work towards my assignment submissions. In the 2nd and 3rd years, I had four 6 month placements in different roles. My daily tasks and interactions differed from placement to placement, but included: creating programs for my team, maintaining code, general admin for the team, working with databases talking to the customer and various other IT based tasks.

During my time at college I have achieved both HNC and HND Level qualifications in Computing. During this time I also gained CISCO certification, including: IT Essentials, Linux Essentials, CCNA1, CCNA2 and Windows Server. I also went on a Juniper course. However, I was unable to attain the certification. Regardless, the exposure and help managed me to attain further knowledge of Juniper systems and networks. While the Cisco lessons were very well taught, my experience at Nescot College was a poor one. Some of the teaching staff were not very knowledgeable, organised or helpful which didn't improve my overall view of the college.

My time at BAE Systems is incredibly enjoyable and I have learnt a lot in my time here. However, the same cannot be said for my time at college. While some of the teachers have been incredibly encouraging and helpful, others have been incredibly poor. Some leaving us to do our assignment with very few poor quality lessons. On the contrary, my time at BAE has been very enjoyable. My mentors have all been incredibly supportive and made my experience very enjoyable.

BAE Systems make you feel very valuable to them from the very beginning. This comes from a number of different areas. Both my placement managers have made me feel very welcome and have been able to answer any questions I have had very quickly and efficiently. They set up monthly meetings in order to see we are doing okay and if we need any help. Project managers have also been very helpful in answering any questions we may have and pointing us in the right direction if we require it.

The induction to the program was incredibly useful, insightful and interesting. We spoke with a number of the different functional managers within the business in order to gain a better understanding of the business and answer and questions or concerns we may have had. The induction also included a trip on one of the boats (HMS Dauntless), which enabled us to see some of the products BAE Produces. Support throughout the program has been outstanding with a dedicated apprentice manager to assist us with any questions or concerns we may have. We would also have dedicated monthly progress meeting to ensure that we were coming along okay. This being said, the training we received from Nescot College was sub par. It was by far the worst education establishment I have been in with poor organisational skills and some uninterested lecturers. Nescot to me, seems to be the weak link in the chain here.

While we do have monthly meetings between the college and the business, they seem to go slightly off topic sometimes. That being said, they are useful for setting targets and goals within the business and mapping progression. Our tutor at college is incredibly supportive and resourceful. However, the same cannot be said for all of the teaching staff. A lot of our teachers have been unorganised and uninterested in teaching us. This cannot be said for all the teachers, but it definitely brings the whole experience down.

There is a huge amount of support offered by our employer. We have a dedicated apprentice manager who answers all of our concerns and questions we may have. HR is very useful in letting us know what is happening around the business. We also receive a huge amount of help and support from members within out teams during placement. This makes for a very enjoyable experience

Thankfully, BAE Systems offers some of the highest paid apprenticeships in the UK. This has been a huge help. Especially with the rent prices in and around London/Surrey being quite expensive. The apprenticeship wage increases every year by a reasonable amount. This has allowed me to start saving some of my pay checks as the wage has risen. However, money was quite tight the first year.

So far there have been a number of opportunities that have turned up outside of work. A 5-a-side football league is played by a number of employees within the business. Adventure training days have become available over the course of the apprenticeship. Various societies are available to get involved in across the business. I have also undergone STEM training so I can represent BAE Systems at open days and fairs across the country.

Yes

I am thoroughly enjoying my time at BAE Systems and have been able to gain qualifications and experience while earning a decent wage. This is an experience I would recommend for anyone.

Review your application documents to check that they are correct and no mistakes have been made. Take time on the online tests to ensure you have the correct answers. Have an early night before the assessment centre. Be confident and make sure you have a lot experiences rehearsed that you can talk about.