Mechanical Technician Apprentice Review

The scope and level of responsibility with my role varies depending on the work placement which I am given. In some areas, there isn't a spare moment in the day; I'll be tasked with carrying out my own regular responsibilities and helping with others, as well as helping resolve any queries received on the day whether by myself, by working with colleagues, or by working with the customer directly. However in some areas there isn't any work given during the day. I'll be tasked with a project when I begin my placement that requires very little work and I'm then left to complete that project; no responsibility is given and daily interactions are minimal, mainly because it is deemed that there isn't enough time to teach me how to complete anything interesting or complex. Often in these kind of areas, once that project is finished, no further work is given before the placement finishes.

I feel that my skills have developed a great deal during my time on this apprenticeship. I have achieved two engineering qualifications to a good standard, and by the time my apprenticeship finishes I will have hopefully completed another. I have also completed several internal courses regarding health and safety, as well as product familiarization. Personally, I have developed skills that I previously lacked: I have learnt how to communicate both on the phone and via email a lot more effectively.

During my first two years on the programme I greatly enjoyed my time. The first of these years was spent full time attending college, and therefore had little interaction with anyone on-site. However during my first year on site I greatly enjoyed the experience of learning about the company, and the mix between working and completing my qualifications. It has become clear to me though as my apprenticeship has gone on, that the company attitude to apprentices varies depending on department. Although most departments have at least a neutral attitude to apprentices in the workplace, some don't appreciate the qualifications required. This applies more particularly to on-the-job qualifications, for which there is a clear lack of understanding in some departments as to the amount of work required to achieve this. In terms of the amount that I've learnt and developed, the apprenticeship has fully met my expectations. However, in terms of my enjoyment of the program it has not.

As stated previously, this varies between departments. Some departments are appreciative of having an apprentice work with them, even if they are completing erroneous tasks that have been left over. However in some departments, apprentices can be treated as a burden. The training team themselves however are normally very appreciative of the work that apprentices do inside and outside of their placements, and often will make this known during reviews with the apprentice. Personally, my opinion on this is split because I have felt extremely undervalued in some placements, and then valued greatly as soon as I have moved into a new placement.

All on-site responsibilities such as inductions, support with studies, on the job training etc. are extremely well organised. Regular support meetings and reviews are put into place by the training team, and studying for college work is also supported during half terms to ensure that apprentices aren't at a disadvantage.

The ability and willingness of the tutors provided by the college varies greatly. Over the course of my 3 years in this programme, all of which have been with the same training provider, I have had nothing but problems. Each year, there is at least one tutor who either consistently makes mistakes, or makes a mistake which costs me or another apprentice a grade in a subject. Support and guidance with some tutors however is fantastic and always available, and these tutors often attempt to help in situations where inadequate guidance and support has been provided in other subjects. Overall, I have not enjoyed the experience of attending college. In honesty, I feel that I could have achieved better results with another training provider.

The training team do their best to support in situations where our training provider has failed to do so. Additional study sessions are sometimes allocated, and additional review sessions are held with representatives from the college to stamp out any problems as soon as possible. As previously mentioned, the support of supervisors within placements varies depending on the department.

I feel that the wage that I have received during the course of this apprenticeship is very fair. The wage given allows for all costs, however leaves little for savings should you want to buy a property once the apprenticeship is finished. The only complaint that I would have regarding the pay structure is that it appears to vary year on year. This has at times been demoralising, considering that both year groups either side of my own have been paid more for each year of their apprenticeship than I was, despite the cost of living getting higher.

There are several company events and initiatives that you can sign up for, all of which are normally good fun, as well as a good learning experience. The factory is within touching distance of a gym and a leisure club. The apprentices themselves also run a charity and social team on-site, which organises charitable events to raise money, and social events to improve team working between trainees. However, due to the amount of college work there is often not time to attend many social events outside of work other than on a weekend. I often find that because of the amount of work I have to do during the week I am burned out at the weekend, and have no energy to do anything social now that I have the time.

Yes

Because if you can tolerate the amount of time that this programme consumes and grind through it, then you gain 3 years of work experience, 3 high level qualifications that you didn't have to pay for, and you are paid a very good salary while you do it. Assuming you perform well, a full time job is likely available to you once you finish as well. Compared to what is the most viable alternative, which is university, an apprenticeship will give you all of the qualifications you need, a wealth of experience in different environments (good and bad), and rather than being upwards of £30,000 in debt I will have £30,000 saved for a house deposit.

Try not to be nervous about applying, testing and interviewing. A very large portion of the workforce at Leonardo are former apprentices, so it is likely that at least one of your interviewers will have also started as an apprentice. If you have an interest in engineering or have experience in it, talk about it; don't get bogged down talking about anything unrelated to what you're applying for. Once you're in, just try and enjoy it as best you can. Grind out the difficult days and enjoy the good ones. Once you've finished it and look back at what you've achieved, you'll be glad you did it.