Manufacturing Engineering Higher Apprentice Review

Higher Manufacturing Engineering Apprentice, I am currently in my first year of the apprenticeship, and Rolls-Royce give all first year engineering apprentices a general appreciation of engineering, I have completed a wide range of engineering related subjects such as Electronics, Sheet Metal, CNC turning and much more. This gives us a strong background in engineering so we are ready to go into the business in our second year. We have university on Mondays and are allowed out on day release to it. However I have found that if you finish early there is limited extra material for you to complete which can get frustrating.

We are currently working towards a foundation degree as well as a PEO Level 2 qualification. I have learned alot in the first year, in a diverse range of engineering subjects. As well as had oppertunities to diversify and fit onto open training courses when I was free. The company provides us with a long list of courses and programs that they want us to complete by the end of the year. This is definitely achievable and I believe that It has helped me develop both my engineering knowledge and professional skills also.

I enjoy coming to work, which is the main thing for me. My work group is full of like minded people who are there to get the job at hand done but also to have fun and make friends, this creates a positive culture. When I first joined RR I was somewhat apprehensive about meeting my new colleagues but everyone else was too. As a result everyone acted positive and well. However you are never going to get on with everyone and there will be some people that you don't get on with however there is a large cohort so it doesn't really matter.

I feel like a valued member of the company, however as I am at the training centre at the moment I do not add value to the company. However I feel that I am recognised by my trainers for doing well on tasks and working effectively. We have a small group number in relation to the size of classes at school so feel like we get to know the trainer well and develop quickly. If I was to suggest improvement it would be to try and do something that I feel would benefit the comapny.

The program was well inducted and we have a detailed induction upon arrival at every new section. We are in small groups so we have alot of time with the instructor to go through any issues or difficulties. There are some organisational difficulties fitting in courses and completion requirements that we have to be proactive about organising. We have a meeting with our Apprenticeship Development Leader every few months to track our progress and to ask any specific questions, however we can contact our ADL at any time to ask them.

We are in small groups so recieve alot of support from our training provider. I have comfortably been able to complete all my courses withing the aloted time period. Some people have struggled with this however as there is more freedom compared to what you had at school/college some people struggle to complete the tasks when the deadlines seem fairly open, however after each section we are rated on our delivery, performance and a number of other factors which is reflected through our timely hand in of work. With the extra freedom work can mount up easily however I have never found this to be the case as I actively try to complete all tasks before the end of section to ensure that I don't have to work at home on them.

As stated we can contact our ADLs at any time. We are located in the main RR site so there is a strog support structure. I regularly see my managers walking around and checking on us. We are always given the correct lines of communication should a problem occur.

I comfortably meet my costs and have enough money to socialise and live a comfortable life. However I live at home still, some people rent their own place and still live comfortably. The wage is fair and is increased based on completion of required material. This seems fair to me. The wage is lower than alot of other engineering apprenticeships however.

We have oppertunities to join the RR sports teams and we regularly recieve emails about events around the company. We have limited interaction with the local community. I feel that there is still plenty of time to socialise and live your life still.

Yes

I think that the apprenticeship is really good and I enjoy what I do. If you want to get a strong footing in engineering with a job at the end then I feel that RR is one of the best companies to work for.

The application process is lengthy and thorough. Make sure you are honest and open about yourself. The interview process is a full day consisting of both group and individual exercises. As well as interviews. Ensure that you are well prepared and know what you are talking about. You are interviewed by engineers and managers that know what they are talking about. So ensure that what you are saying is right and don't make things up.