Apprentice Review

I am current in my 3rd year as an engineering apprentice, I do one day a week in college working towards my BTEC, and three days a week in the workshop on different areas to reach my NVQ. I am currently completing my specialization, where I am being trained to become a technician which i am really excited about. Day to day activities vary greatly for me, one day I could be doing CAD and others I could be taking pieces on and off of aircraft.

I have developed my skills in excel. I am also learning how a PX works which is what out compnay currently uses to monitor spend accross projects. Used to EV database to get an understanding of spend, the present this information to the wider team and project manager explaining where there is a problem and what it being done to fix it. Built confidence due to presenting to high ranking business members attending. learnt to manage time effectively due to lots of deadline oriented tasks.

I love where I work in general. the people are really friendly and you always feel safe and secure. I believe I have made lots of progression since I started the course and I am looking forward to putting it into practical use within the business and in my future career. I get help when needed and if i need help i feel comfortable to ask for it too. There are areas for improvement however generally speaking i am pretty happy in my current placement.

I feel extremely valued by BAE systems, I receive lots of feedback on all tasks that I complete and I also get constructive criticism where it is needed. I always feel fully involved in any projects/ tasks that we have to complete. I know BAE have also invested a fair amount of money in me too to complete my qualifications. I think that all the apprentices here are well looked after and valued by the company as they of course want them to go on in the business and work for them.

The programme is well organised and I know my progression from stage to stage, out training manager is allays available to give feedback or tell us our progression if we need to. Our programme involved further education which we get alot of support for from work and from the education provider. Out training manager visits us weekly to ensure we're on target and we have no problems with work or education and that we're not feeling over worked.

My training manager will visit me at least once a week at my desk to ensure I've got work to do and i am happy within the workplace. I'm getting on okay with further education, however i'm not feeling over worked and that nothing is wrong. My training manager is also in his office if I ever need him and is available to talk to one to one if I need it. I have been told before that if i have any problems there are numerous places and people i can speak to for help and support.

My employer gives no end of support to me as an apprentice in work and also outside of work. As stated above, I have regular meetings with them to check my progress and that I am still on track with my targets and objectives set out at the beginning of the year. If i need additional help I will get it from somewhere. As stated above, I have been told before that if i have any problems there are numerous places and people i can speak to for help and support.

my salary meets all my living costs as required in order for me to get to travel to and from work comfortably and safely as well as ensuring I am covered for the cost of living. I know currently I cannot save as much as I would ideally like but this will change when i hopefully get a full time contracted job. I think that the wages for apprentices in BAE Systems are far better than other apprenticeships elsewhere and other engineering companies too.

Outside of work there are a few opportunities to get involved in team building exercises and also a leisure club which you can use facilities available at an extremely reasonable cost. We are always asked for help with events work gets involved with such as charity events and we have organised some out of work meetings with other staff members. I think that it's really encouraging that the workplace gets us all involved in team activities and charity work in the local community too.

Yes

It is a company that always looks after there employees with an outstanding training regime. They fully develop you into a skilled worker which can be transferable, where as other apprenticeships may just train you for one specific role and that's what you are stuck doing for the rest of your life. I think that the company will support anyone of any background within the workplace as well as help then achieve their goals and get the right job for them.

Start your application early and keep going back to it. Show a real passion for engineering and put that across in your application. For competency based questions always try and link the responses back to things and activities you have done previously and experiences you have gained through previous jobs or school / college. I would also suggest to research some background information on the company and ensure you are confident to talk about yourself in an interview.