Maintenance Technician Apprentice Review

My role as a maintenance technician apprentice is to maintain all of the equipment that builds the MINIs and keep the line running during production. We are placed in different areas around the plant and are rotated regularly so we can experience all aspects of maintenance at plant Oxford. We shadow the maintenance team to gain some of their experience and knowledge whilst being given the freedom to work by ourselves too.

Throughout my 3 years at the company so far i have learned so many new skills such as handfitting, machining, robotics, welding and pneumatics. In the first year alone you cover a huge range of engineering topics to give you enough knowledge to then be sent out into the world of production. When i first started i had just left secondary school where there was no focus on engineering so i learnt the basics from scratch and built up my knowledge from there.

I thoroughly enjoy my programme. Maintenance has such a variety of jobs that day to day I don't do all of the same jobs. Its always interesting as there will always be a new fault to figure out or a piece of equipment that i have never used before. There is a good structure to my programme and there is alot fit into the 4 years.

I feel completely valued by the company. As apprentices we have access to the same company perks as all associates do such as the car schemes and discount codes. I have done many projects for the business which have saved the company money and have always been recognised for doing so.

The programme is very well structured. The first year is spent doing engineering college work as well as learning all of the skills required in a separate workshop away from the pressure. the remaining 3 years are spent out in the production areas as well as doing college for one day a week.

Although we are out in the production areas of the plant, there is always support from the college. They are onsite for the first 2 years so if we have any issues we can go over to sort them out. In the last 2 years we have college off site but we have microsoft teams to keep in touch and get support.

We receive alot of support from the business both from the apprenticeship side and the production side. There is an apprentice school on site where we can go and see our managers if there are any issues. We have regular meetings in the school to talk about how we are getting on.

The salary is very good. It is expensive living in Oxford but the salary goes up every 6 months if you are up to date on all work so it covers extra costs. We receive part of the comapny and christmas bonuses every year and the percentage we receive goes up every year.

There are a few different oppurtunites outside of work such as the race team where you work on the MINIs that go racing. There is a Plant Oxford football team which is good for socialising. The plant gets involved with charity events as well as Cowley road carnival where we decorate a themed car.

Yes

Bmw is a very good company to work for with all of the benefits as well as a good salary. There are alot of career options within the company as well as the chance to travel all around the world. You gain alot of experience and knowledge from doing the apprenticeship.

Find something about you that makes you stand out. Something interesting that doesn't have to be directly related to the job that you are applying to as many candidates will be very similar in terms of grades and achievements. Be interested in the company as well as the job role as it will show in an interview.