Technical Apprentice Review

On a day to day basis I work within an office environment completing jobs such as document writing and report editing etc. along with attending meetings and completing any required work as an Apprentice you get out what you put in and therefore your work load is proportional not only to the amount of effort you put in but also to the impression made on the department which could potentially employ you once you qualify.

The skills which I have learned within my placement are all those you would expect from a business placement role, such as presentational skill, document writing skills etc. but also my hand skills and the ability to read company documentation in a shop floor environment due to my craft placements.

The Apprenticeship is very enjoyable, there is a good variety of work to complete and the people you work with are always accommodating and willing to give up their time to help you progress with your NVQ or personal development .

I feel well valued the employee schemes such as the Share Scheme and disciplinary Procedures etc. seems to lean positively in your favour providing your actions were justified and not gross miss conduct assumptions are not made and there are a good number of opportunities for appeal before dismissal. As an Apprentice you are pretty much excluded from any Redundancy’s until you are full qualified as you are essentially the future of the company, there are lots of opportunities to put your name forward and get involved in events internally and externally for recognition.

The programme is very well structured, the first 2 weeks is Death by Power Point with all your safety inductions and bombardments of information which at the time seems irrelevant but it soon becomes clear that it is quite important... plenty of caffeine. You then spend a year in the Training Centre completing a PEO alongside a college qualification relevant to your current educational achievements. the PEO covers pretty much everything you will never use with the business such as filling milling etc. but it gives you a very good idea of the processes used and develops basic hand skills etc. it’s also good fun getting to know everyone and making a variety of different shapes, objects, and panels using good old-fashioned hard work, the days fly by. Near the start of your apprenticeship you also go on a week long outward bound adventure type holiday which is a laugh. After the PEO has been completed you go into the business on 4 Technical Placements, 2 Craft where you get to experience different Business Areas and Mentalities (the Shop Floor etiquette is a bit different from the Office) whilst in your technical placements you need to make up Job Packs to cover the NVQ Criteria and answer question showing your knowledge of a subject these are all for you to track and keep on top of as it determines your final pay rise. A Presentation and Placement Summary must be completed at the end of each placement along with a couple of other tracking sheets etc. to get signed. Oh and bringing cake on the last day in that placement is a must!

I receive as much support as I require, meets with assessor can be as frequent as desired and meetings known as LCS reviews are performed every 12 weeks to track your progress and set deadlines etc. during your first year there is always a train provider on section to help with queries check work etc. and when in the business there only a phone call or quick walk away.

Support is there if available although I have never had to use it.

In terms of my actual out goings around 30% of my wage covers all my bills bearing in mind I’m still living at home and only really have rent, food, fuel and a phone bill the rest of my wage is spend on my hobbies I imagine if you are trying to afford to a mortgage on a house etc. the wage may seem minimal although in the end it would be worth it.

There are lots of opportunities to put yourself forward make a good impression and get to attend Air shows, Company events etc. if that is what you want to do personally I have volunteered for a few thing and they have always been good fun. There is also obviously apprentice sports football etc.

Yes

YES! Because it’s a superb career opportunity and a brilliant place the work with funded education endless opportunities for personal development it’s also very well paid as an apprenticeship and very informative.

Make sure that your application is very good and comprehensive get someone with a bit of knowledge to read over it to check for wording etc. remember it all goes towards you final score and potential to get a job in the end, brush up on your maths and English there will be a couple of test where you have about 30 seconds per question if your application passes through. Be confident in your interview and dress smart, don’t get intimidated. Make sure you choose the correct career path for you! A Technician is essentially an office based job, craft is on the shop floor you can go from the shop floor the office but you cannot go the other way round remember having shop floor experience will gain respect from others on the shop floor if you do choose to go into a technical role and have to interact with shop floor employees such as design etc. Technicians work a 5 day week (12:30 on a Friday Core time 10:00 to 3:00 mon-thurs core time overtime is weekends only or converting flexi hours) Craft work a 4 day week mon-thurs with the possibility of working shifts in some places 3 day on 4 off.