QPM Engineer Review

My role as a Quality Production Manufacturing engineer is very diverse and day to day tasks differ a lot. I deal with a lot of first article inspections of the products we make to ensure they meet the specification. I also deal with a lot of the data collected with faults on our products and finding ways to fix these faults. Also a lot of designing of new parts to increase the overall work experience.

I have learnt a lot of new skills during my training at IPS International. Things such as some mechanical work and fault finding electrical circuits. Whilst being back on site I have learned lots of new things such as how to use all of the software used on site such as certain CAD packages and also how to think like an engineer.

I would say that when I am learning new things either at college or on the job then I enjoy it a lot more. I also get more enjoyment when I feel part of the team and when I feel my work is helping the business. However not every day is always enjoyable as it is very difficult to constantly meet deadlines and learn new things at the same time

I would say that the programme is fairly well structured. I thought it was a good idea to have basic training away from site and then coming back to site once we had learned a thing or two due to the products we would be dealing with. However college has always been very unorganised.

I would say that on the rare occasion that I have needed support that my employer has been there for me and tried to help with the situation. Although it hasn't been all the time that the problem I have had has been resolved or it has taken a long time

I received a lot of support from my training provider. When I showed a good work ethic and completed all of the tasks they had set they were always on hand to then help us with any queries or questions we might have had about college assignments which was very useful.

I would say that my qualification probably doesn't help me out as much as others due to the job role that I decided to take. I work a lot less with circuits and actual hands on soldering now that I am in a more Quality and Process focused role. However it is always good to have a basic knowledge of circuits when trying to solve their problems.

Other then the occasional night out with the team there isn't a lot the company has to offer. There is a few sports clubs and things like that around site but nothing that I would particularly interested in doing. The company also invites people to a few awards nights a year for people who have worked hard or gone the extra mile

Yes

If the friend was highly interested in electronics and lived locally then I would definitely recommend the apprenticeship to them. However if they are not mad about electronics then I would probably not recommend it. The pay isn't as good as other apprenticeships out there but there are a lot of benefits for working at the company. Also get some good qualifications whilst getting paid.

Do not expect a "competitive salary" and you will most likely have to do a lot of the college work on your own as the teaching has been terrible. However it is a good company to work for that provides a lot of benefits and different pathways to follow once you're on site.