Combat Systems Higher Engineering Apprentice Review

My placements change every six months, therefor I have just moved form the EEE team onto the NAV's teams. Most of my day is now spent on ship, inspecting equipment and then turning it on and off in order to conduct test and see how smoothly equipment is running.

I have learnt a lot of new skills. I came to this apprenticeship straight from school, therefor everything is pretty much new to me. I have became better at using different placement based software such as AutoCAD, but also have developed hands on skill such as working with different tools.

I really enjoy my apprenticeship, it is very different to what most people my age do as majority end up going to university. Being on the job, whilst also learning and developing whilst getting paid to do so its an amazing opportunity that I am very grateful to be part of.

Overall the programme become more structured each year. My placements have became more relevant to what I could be doing in the future, and my objective have started to be laid out to me from my first day on each placement. The only problem I have encountered is the lack of reflection from what I was learning in college to what I actually do in work.

Support will be provide if requested when you need it. Most of the support comes from the team or person you are on a placement with, they are always happy to help you develop and learn new skills, but still make sure you have a sense of responsibility and independence.

At college we where offered a lot of support as we had multiple lecturers along with a college mentor. There was always someone to ask for help with any course work needs. We also have 12 weeks reviews which give an opportunity to raise any issues and ask for needed support.

I don't feel like my college learning reflects my day to day role fully. The basic skills picked up through out the course such as essay writing and information handling have been transferable, but the main learning objectives of the college courses do not seem to be related to the job.

As far as I am aware, there is no social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events offered throughout the program that I have been made aware of. Any social events such as team meals have been arranged within the team, not offered by the business or the program.

Yes

I would recommend BAE Systems to a friend, and I have done so, as I believe it is a great opportunity to develop as a young person. You get the opportunity to learn, work and earn a very good wage with multiple other benefits, starting your career in early, and on a good track.

Make sure to include any extra curricular to you application, for example I ran an engineering club in 5th year for the 1st year girls. Also, double check your application for basic errors such as spelling mistake. Prepare for your interview and don't forget to show your personality and skills throughout the day.