Technical Apprentice Review

Working in a production hall as a technical apprentice has various responsibilities and roles on a day to day basis. Work may be scheduled but if errors, failures or mistakes occur then the project plan can slip and cause a rippling effect throughout the business. On a day to day basis work activities can consist of ESS testing( Thermal and Vibration), SRI and LRI testing, ATP. As well as practical abilities on a day to day basis the upkeep of SAP and planning must be maintained.

Throughout the apprenticeship I work towards an SVQ level 3, by completing logs and gathering evidence of the work I undertake. Other qualifications that have helped me develop skills for my job was completing a 6 month PEO course and Edinburgh college. Day release to study a HND is also benefiting my knowledge and skills in engineering. Internal training courses also allow me to broaden my knowledge of various areas of the workplace and develop skills I can use in my own department.

The work activities I am involved in are very enjoyable as it is varied work and can be different every day. It is also enjoyable to work as part of a team in the Production hall and to solve daily problems. The programme meets expectation in the sense that opportunities become available to develop a career and final positions are offered to apprentices.

From department managers and supervisors, I feel valued by them and the trust they put in me to carry out work activities. Department managers allow you to be independent or provide the necessary supervision and training for me to develop my skills and complete work. Simple recognition is applied and managers value the work activities that I carry out. I feel valued as I am involved with real production work and a fast rate and the work I complete benefits the company.

Induction to the program is very lengthy and a lot of information is passed on within a short period of time. Support is provided by department managers with work aspects. The programme is set up so that apprentices are rotated around different departments and are able to understand different aspects of the business and develop knowledge for a career, which is a positive aspect of the program. Negatively the procedure for final placement decisions is not consistent. A general list of all available spaces is provided and an apprentice must fill each space. Every year some apprentices manage to gain positions that are not offered to everyone and shows how the procedure is not fair for every apprentice.

Support from the training provider is average. Support is given when needed, which allows apprentices to get the support they need to work through any problems. Guidance through problems varies with different apprentices and the training provider adapts to this. support for materials and any necessary documentation is accessible and available to all apprentices which contains information on any problems they might need help with.

Department managers are very supportive in training and helping apprentices learn new skills to work in there area. This allowing the department to be considered as final choice by apprentices. Apprentice management team are supportive when needed, only really available when problems occur at college or HR issues, which the appropriate guidance on how to deal with these issues is provided. Personally, I don't feel apprentice management team have enough information to support apprentices in work/ work related issues.

The salary rate as an apprentice is very competitive against other apprenticeships in this location. The salary covers travel costs, daily costs and social costs of an apprentice. As an apprentice trying to own/rent your own home on this salary is proven difficult especially in this geographical location. The prices in the city centre exceed what an apprentice could afford. this means it is better for apprentices to stay further away from work and commute to and from for less expense.

Whilst being an apprentice at Leonardo there are always opportunities to represent the company doing volunteering at events outside of work. There are many opportunities within certain departments to work offsite and sometimes in foreign country's. There are many STEM events run by the company and also many opportunities to attend STEM events hosted elsewhere. There are also social opportunities to mix with various people of the business.

Yes

I would recommend being an apprentice at Leonardo to a friend as it is the perfect gateway opportunity to an Engineering career. It allows you to rotate throughout various Engineering/Production areas, in which you can decide which path/career to pursue. Furthermore, the opportunities provided by the company outside work also helps develop core skills that can be applied to daily life tasks. Also the apprenticeship comes with numerous excellent qualifications that is also a pathway to a career in engineering.

The application is quite lengthy, however I would suggest anyone applying to include as much information as possible about events/experiences that have happened which can be useful to the job. During the interview, it is important to talk about yourself and how you can make a difference to the company. what ambitions you bring to the company and what you want to achieve. A presentation must also be delivered during the interview, here I would suggest talking about an engineering activity that is related to a personal experience where you feel comfortable explain the processes rather than over the top technical information that you cant explain. Assessment days are where you can show your personality through team building exercises and activities, my suggestion here is to be yourself and take the role you need to take to complete the activity.