Maintenance apprentice. Review

My role within the BMW group is a maintenance apprentice. This involves following a placement plan around the plant learning the different areas and processes. On a day to day basis, i follow and work with the dedicated maintenance team for that area completing PM's, responding to breakdowns and learmning the process flow of the area. I have a responsability to complete logbooks covering any jobs which i have participated in on the area.

So far, during my apprenticeship i have gained the basic qualifications which enable me to have a clear understanding of basic engineering and maintenance. I will also be working towards a HNC which will be started in my 3rd year and finished in the 4th year of my apprenticeship. I have also learnt many skills which are not academic, for example i have developed my people skills and general work ethic. This will enabe me to be much more competent when i come to apply for a full time maintenance role at the end of my apprenticeship.

I would say that i enjoy my apprenticeship as i enjoy the day to day work. I like how you work as part of a team of engineers who have been at the plant for a number of years. Even though i am a new apprentice i still feel that i make a contribution to my areas that i work in.

Within the BMW group i feel valued as i believe that the maintenance engineers that i am working with really want to help me and believe that apprentices are the future of the plant and therefore help by sharing all their knowledge and skills with me. There is also oppertunities for recognition inside and outside the plant with many different tasks and oppertunities which can be taken up on.

The apprenticeship is well structured and organised. For example there is a clear placement plan which you follow during your 4 years on the apprenticship. This allows you to gain knowledge from all areas of th eplant and allos you to gain a real understanding of how the plant is run. There is also a clear layout for training which allows you to gain the appropriate qualifications which are needed to progress within the company.

There are a numbere of ways in which i can recieve support from my training advisors. For example support is given to students who may be struggling with a particular subject. Ths can therefore allow you to understand the subject and gain the correct grade which is needed to gain the qualification.

There are also meetings held with our training manager where they can discuss any problems you may be having inside or outside of work. They can also address any issues which may have occured within your placements and so on. Also the managment team are always avalible for any problems you may have and will support you in any way in which they can.

The salary gathered from this apprenticeship is competitive within other apprenticeships in surrounding areas. This helps to make the apprenticeship competitive with other nearby apprentiships. There are also performance related pay rises which allow you to work hard to ensure that you can recieve this pay rise when organised.

There are many oppertunities to get involved in the BMW group outside of work which include family days, local events and so on. These allow you to showcase the recent work which you have been completing and also to help any local charities. There are also some benefits which can be used outside of work such as gym memberships and dicounts on shops and resturants.

Yes

I would recoment the BMW group to a friend as i believe there is no better way to work whilst earining as you gain the qualifications which you need to progress through the business. There are also many benefits which are gretly appreciated especially by apprentices such as a competitive car scheme, discounts and a competitive salary. Also you learn such a wide range of skills whilst completing the apprenticeship as you end up working with such a diverse range of people.

Ensure that you take your time whle completing the application process and try to showcase yourself as best you can within the application. This is because it is a very competitive apprenticeship and therefore giving the best first impression of yourself is vital. Also try to complete any experiences and oppertunities which may set you apart from the next candidate. This will make the decision a lot easier when it comes to picking a candidate for the role.