Technical Apprentice Review

I am a Apprentice in Electronic Engineering Manufacture. I partake in various tasks all depending on which part of the company I am working in. We have six eight week placements to get an overview of the entire company. From day to day I could be running Acceptance Tests on head up displays or writing up reports onto a shared workspace. We also have to attend college one day a week to complete our BTEC course.

I have learned many new skills including electronic fault finding, Test procedures at work, soldering components and many others. I also fund that this apprenticeship has developed a lot of existing skills such as working in a team. Whilst working for BAE, the project that you work on is like a big team. Everyone has their role and needs to play their part so working for this company has vastly expanded my team working skills.

I enjoy the programme a lot. This is due to many factors such as having the versatility of flexi time allowing for me to decide my hours each day which allows me to work around things outside of work. I enjoy learning new things about the company and different areas so during the second year of the apprenticeship where I get to move around a lot I learn many different aspects of the company from different areas.

I do feel valued in some areas but less so in others. I understand that the type of work that goes on often needs an experienced employee to complete the tasks as the units being sent out are mission critical and can not fail so I understand that I need to shadow some experienced employees some of the time. However in other areas I feel a lot more valued as supervisors give me more of a free roam and let me figure things out for myself after some instruction which is great.

I believe that my programme is very well structured. With the first year of the apprenticeship we complete basic training at a training centre to prepare us in processes that happen on site but in a controlled environment working on non-critical equipment. This gives us a rough understanding of what skills I will be using and how to use them on site. The second year gives us a deeper insight into the company from various different areas allowing us to decide where we would like to work most in the company. And the third year is where your final placement is chosen and you get to work for the entire year.

I receive very little support from my training provider MidKent College. There is a major lack of tutors and classes are often too cramped. We do not have any equipment to complete our assignments and this puts a lot of strain on the few good tutors we do have. We are often given supply teachers who do not know anything about out course and provide little help with teaching or assignments. All assignments often get rushed towards the end despite trying to seek help from higher management.

I believe that I receive a lot of support from my employer. I feel comfortable enough to go and talk to my boss if I am struggling with anything or need to talk to someone about problems I'm having on site. He is very easily accessible via email or being able to just walk down to HR.

I believe the salary is not too bad. This is mainly because I feel like flexi time is a huge advantage that should be appreciated more and my travel costs are very low. Due to living very close to site I am able to cycle in most days and save money on fuel. However the pay is far too low to try and look for a place to live on my own and then pay for living costs so I am currently living with my family.

I believe so. I am usually very busy outside of work so do not partake in any activities other than social events with colleagues. The site does run various sports clubs and activities outside of work and these can all be found on a big notice board in the canteen. I have also been invited to an awards night with the company and have been away doing team building exercises as part of the early stages of the apprenticeship.

Yes

Only if the person I am recommending is majorly into electronics. It has a lot benefits and caters to peoples electronics needs. The apprenticeship is very good with supporting workers and there is a lot of job opportunities once you get in. However if the person is not a fan of electronics then I would have to not recommend the apprenticeship.

I would tell them that if they do not have a huge passion for electronics then it probably isn't for them. The people I see who enjoy the work the most are the people who's hobbies revolve around working with electronics. The course does cater for a lot of people of all backgrounds but if you want to enjoy the work then you will need to enjoy working with electronics.