Engineering Technician Apprentice Review

I am currently in a placement in Testing and Commissioning where I help commissioning engineers with their daily tasks and help in important trials before the ship goes on sea trials. This includes engine, generator, steering gear and many other trials. I also attend college once a week on day release.

I am learning every day about different systems, components, processes and many other aspects of shipbuilding, with emphasis on what goes on in the testing and commissioning phase of the process. There isn't normally a day where I don't learn something new.

I am not overly enthused by the whole environment and wouldn't say I enjoy my work or engineering in general. The programme does do its best to stop this being the case though.

I feel apprentices are valued by the company as a whole although they can often be forgotten about by those they are actually working with.

The placements cover a wide range of aspects over the course of the programme which is very useful and builds a wide array of knowledge, though better structure could be implemented by each discipline within each placement to get the best from the time there and have a clear structure of what is expected and what your day to day will involve.

Any help I need my training provider is available, and will help if he is able to do so.

There are various support groups or options available which is comforting, though I have not personally felt the need to use them. That being said it is positive that they are there and would give you a place to go should a problem arise.

I am an older apprentice so I have a house and car to run though the fact I am a 2nd year apprentice and earn what I earn, I cannot complain.

There are a number of opportunities out of work through being a STEM ambassador in schools and in the local community. As well as this, there are company charity events set up such as 5-a-side football tournaments as well as career days and other recruitment fayres all over the country that there is the opportunity to help with.

Yes

Good career prospect and they give you the opportunity to make your career and lifestyle as good as you want it to be. There is scope to move around which stops being potentially stuck in a stagnant job which is a worry of mine. BAE make it clear the opportunities are there to move and progress if you are willing to take advantage.

Study the industry and the company, if you have a genuine like or interest in either shipbuilding or engineering in general then you will have an advantage. And if you are successful do not take your place in the apprenticeship for granted as there are far worse jobs out there, and a lot of BAE employees seem to forget that.