Mechanical Technician Review

My job title is a mechanical technician, we have 3 or 6 month placements around different areas of the business. currently i am in a placement called training and helicopter support systems, this placement deals with customers and orchestrates the building of aircraft simulators for the customers. my day to day job is to correct 'snags' (errors with the simulator documents), and to provide support to customers that have problems after the simulators have been delivered. the team i work in is quite small but everyone is very friendly and they all work really hard. the manager of our team is Italian, and he works in Italy for the most part, we have weekly meetings with the team in Italy to discuss progression within the job.

On the apprenticeship I have achieved several qualifications such as, Level 1 PEO (Pratical Engineering Operations) at college, a Level 3 BTEC in Aeronautical engineering, and i am working towards a HNC in aeronautical engineering, and a Level 3 NVQ in technical engineering. Each placement taught me a wide varitety of skills, such as the use of 3D modelling software CATIA V4 & V5, i'm able to effectively use many company specific systems, such as FAST (operation job card creating software) and i have had lots of contact with the operators on the shop floor, and people in other parts of the business. In the future, i wish to learn Italian to broaden my skills as we have lots of contact with Italians i believe it would be a very beneficial skill.

There have been aspects of every placement that i have enjoyed, i have also discovered that i prefer to work in smaller teams, as they are more personal and allow me to create more personal bonds with colleagues. The company culture is very forward thinking and refreshing, i've been involved in many recruitment events to try and encourage more women in engineering. i've enjoyed the apprenticeship a lot, and it has met my expectations of the course. the only thing that lets the apprenticeship down is the quality of teaching at Yeovil college.

I feel like i am valued in almost every placement i have been in, this is reflected in my 3 month placement reviews. because of this and my hard working ethic, i have been given opportunities to partake in events and work trips, such as a placement trip to Canada which i am going on next week. I've also had the opportunity to head small projects in various placements, the changes of which has been recognized across the business.

I feel like the apprenticeship induction could have been better, we sat in on the graduate induction and they had workshops with different managers of placements and it was really productive because it gave them an idea of what placements they might like to go in and try out, however we didn't have anything like that for the apprenticeship which is a shame because i don't really know what sort of areas i can go into. Training is generally good, if there is a type of training required for the placement your in the training managers get you on a course fairly quickly. Support is good in the way of there are many channels that can provide support, however training manager support is limited due to the lack of time, but generally if you're really struggling with something they make time to see you, and we have 12 week meetings with our training manager to discuss overall progress and any issues. There is a computer room available to us for additional studying, this can be NVQ or College work. College lacks organisation, and has done since the beginning of the course.

college support is available if its required, most lecturers have Friday afternoons free to provide extra help if needed, and most of them answer any emails within a day or two. however the organisation of college is very poor, and course information is often misleading.

Health/mental health support is also readily available and [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions], the head of the occupational health department is very kind and is available to help you if you need it. Most people i have met have been more than willing to help you if you need it. Any of the training managers are willing to help you even if their not your training manager (there are different managers for different courses). there is a meeting every Friday where apprentices can meet with their managers and discus any problems, also there are open times during a Monday and a Wednesday where they are available to talk to. Attitudes towards help and support are very good,and advice is always available.

£10,000 for the first year, £14,000 for the second year, £17,500 for the third year and i'm unsure on the fourth year. salary increases as we progress through the apprenticeship, i live with my parents and commute 20 miles, the salary is sufficient to cover travel costs, daily costs and social costs. some apprentices relocate, and the company helps them with rent.

there are many activities run by AWASA, these are social activities such as paintballing, zorb football, nights out and many more. they also run charity events, such as sponsered walks and half marathons. the business also discounts the gym, and has a benefits platform which provides discounts on many shops, restaurants and activities. I'm quite anti-social but i have been on a few events and have enjoyed every one of them that i have been on.

Yes

because its a really good place to work, they treat apprentices very well, many of the people you talk to are actually previous apprentices. the pension scheme is very good, i put in 5% and the business puts in 10%. it's a good place to learn and work at the same time.

make sure you give a memorable interview, bring things you've made or created to show the interviewers. show initative and interest in the business, and to research into the products the business sells. Don't worry if you're not sure what you want to apply for, when you get into the interview ask loads of questions and the interviewers will suggest an area to suit your skill set.