Test technician apprentice Review

Your daily role varies depending on which department you are placed into. I am currently in a testing based department so I am enjoying this work. I have previously been stationed in departments that are unrelated to my job however which have not been as enjoyable

I have gained a PEO level 2 qualification through college and I am currently working towards a HNC. I have also learned many on the job skills

Being in a department related to what you applied for is key, and when this is the case your day to day life in the company is enjoyable. As mentioned above however, this is not always the case and this can be extremely frustrating.

Apprentices are valued at Leonardo overall I feel, albeit being made to give at least 2 weeks notice for any holiday (even a half day) which makes planning last minute holidays/trips difficult and often impossible. During the red snow warning (where the government specifically told everyone not to travel)employees were either told to use a holiday or make up the hours, meaning that bad weather has meant I have had to work an additional 15 hours for something that is unavoidable, which seems very unfair and backwards.

This depends entirely upon your placement plan. Some apprentices are lucky enough to have placements relating only to what they applied to, whilst other apprentices have been sent to departments for 3 months at a time that are completely unrelated to what they applied for, which is extremely frustrating

College is a mixed bag, with the 1st year running smoothly and the 2nd year deteriorating as we enter the home stretch before our graded unit for the HNC we are completing. In the business I have a mentor who is fantastic, but due to how busy his department is we struggle to see each other often

The apprentice management team are approachable and will try to help wherever possible

The salary is competitive and meets my costs, although it seems unfair that new starting apprentices (in both this year and the previous years) are on a higher starting salary than when we joined. Flex time is very useful.

Apprentices are select to volunteer for events regardless if they want to or not, and this by definition is not "volunteering". If anyone wishes to volunteer it should be up to their discretion, not the apprentice management team making the final call. Apprentices have a multitude of other activities/work to perform after a working day let alone having to stay behind later than they normally would to "volunteer" for a project they have no interest in. 5 a sides is a good way to meet new people and many different groups compete on a Friday afternoon. The nearby gym is also good and free using your work pass, although busy.

Yes

This is a company with a proven track record of producing top performing individuals in this field

Display your knowledge of the company/its products and customers at the interview. If your placement plan doesn't seem as attractive as you would prefer then raise this issue with the apprentice management team sooner rather than later