Toolmaker Apprentice Review

The apprenticeship role I am doing is a Level 3 advanced Toolmaking apprenticeship, at the end of my apprenticeship i will be put responsible for carrying out general die maintenance of dies and press tools. Each day for me is different where various jobs come in, I have a mentor where I can asked for help and he will be able to guide and point me in the right direction if I'm stuck My role as an apprentice is to take new information in and applying it into work based issues where I will eventually be competent to work on my own

There are a variety of skills which are achieved with the toolmaker apprenticeship, this includes: NVQ Level 2 and 3 BTEC Level 3 *there is also the possibility of obtain a HNC Qualification depending on your ability* Within the work place you will put build and develop a variety of skills such as: Welding Grinding (use of power tools) Use of Machinery Operation of forklift and crane Use of press lines And much more!

Being apart of the BMW Programme is amazing, My mind still hasn't questioned or looked back to what i could of being because i knew that i made the right choice. when being within the work place, the team I work with are both social and helpful making it a kind and nice environment to work in

I feel highly valued by my company, every year we are provided with a hamper and a presentation which expresses our company's appreciation towards our hardwork. when we carried out work to the best of our ability we are recognised by managers Overall, I am happy with the level of support and appreciation given by my company

My programme is organised, we are put straight into a learning environment with the help of support classes if we require it. the induction for my programme is well organised with everyday making sure we are setting into the company in the most comfortable way possible The training provided by my programme is well organised, we finish some subjects ahead of schedule where we can finish other bigger tasks.

Our training provider is Swindon College. we have a mentor which takes place on a 3 month basis, this allows us to express any need for additional support being needed and so that we meet targets in terms of assignment hand ins. We can speak to our lectures about any issues relating to lessons, for example any difficulty in learning a topic and they will happily sit down with you and go through it.

The support provided by my employer is very good, any issues or concerns can be spoken to your Manager/Mentor where they can deal with it and help.

My salary for an apprentice is well above the apprentice wage, It increases based on your ability to complete targets set by your manager. If you meet criteria then you can be earning a very good wage whilst in educations The current starting wage for an apprentice is 12,500 which gradually increases until you complete your apprenticeship, earning 30,000+

There are many opportunities outside work, the apprenticeship team attend career events to help recruit the next best engineers for the future There are opportunities to explore the company further and visit other plants which is a different world it self seeing different side to the company where the same level of detail is applied.

Yes

The BMW Apprenticeship Scheme is one of the best, the standard for my apprenticeship in comparison to the national standard is a lot higher therefore a lot of skills and additional work is being put into you for you to become a competent worker which you don't get from many company's

When applying for an apprenticeship for BMW, all aspects are taken into account such as your grades, attitude to learning and what the apprenticeship will entail for the next 4 years. The application process consists of a series of online tests, interviews and more interviews. prior to attending these I would suggest doing some online tests and practise what you are going say to the person interviewing you.