Craft Apprentice Review

My official job title is craft apprentice, however my daily tasks range considerably. One day I could be making a wiring harness or testing a circuit board and the next I could be working alongside procurement seeing how the buyers interact with external vendors. Throughout the apprenticeship I've had various placements around the business, giving me a flavour of everything from production to test, QA or planning, etc.

Throughout the various placements I've worked with different people and seen different ways of approaching situations/problems. Each individual I've worked with possesses different attributes and skill sets and this had enabled me to broaden my approach to situations I find myself in. To date I've completed a level 2 NVQ in engineering, Level 3 BTEC in general engineering, level 2 functional skills in ICT and nearing completion of my level 3 NVQ in engineering technical support.

Everyday there are new challenges and new people to work with. The structure of the apprenticeship has allowed me to gain a very wide understanding of the business and see how important the interaction between each department is. I’m in the final few months of my apprenticeship and have thoroughly enjoyed my time on the scheme.

Right from the induction day the support provided by the apprentice manages has been more than sufficient – at no point have I felt isolated or without purpose. Upon entering the work place and working with the various engineers and other areas of the business this trend is continued and the support I received has been fantastic.

The first 6 months of my apprenticeship were spent full time at college completing my Level 2 NVQ in general engineering and starting my Level 3 BTEC in Engineering. The following 18 months were then spent in the work place and attending college on a day release basis to complete the level 3 BTEC. During this time I started my Level 3 NVQ in engineering technical support - this is being completed in the work place and will be signed off during the final few months of my apprenticeship. The time spent in the workplace is placement based, this works really well as you get a very rounded view of the business and allows you to understand how the various departments interact with one and other.

Our provider throughout the apprenticeship has been ProCAT, the support provided has been sufficient. As much as the support they provided was sufficient I feel the quality of teaching wasn’t great and on multiple occasions we had to address the issue with either our apprentice management or the college management team.

As well as daily catch ups with placement managers; we have monthly apprentice meetings and regular reviews with our apprentice management team in addition to constant communication. During our 6 month placement at college we had regular visits from managers to ensure we was progressing well and would go back into the workplace during the college holidays.

As an apprentice salary I feel the pay is very competitive and will set me up well for my future career. The college we attended was very local and so travel costs were the same. All special clothing/PPE required has been proved by Leonardo so we haven’t encountered any costs.

Yes, there have been many opportunities to participate in STEM, charity and other social activities. I’ve attended multiple careers events representing Leonardo which has given me the opportunity to pass my experiences with future engineers and apprentices. In addition to the opportunities that are presented to us we are actively encouraged to create our own by organising our own charity fundraisers.

Yes

Because I feel the opportunities I've been given and the support revived has set me up to really succeed in my career. Having such a rounded understanding of the business will greatly help in my job role as I have an appreciation of how I can be more efficient and make things easier for my co-workers.

Shown you're keen and have real enthusiasm for the work you're presented with. Make the most of every placement and really take in everything you can, ask lots of questions!