Engineering Technician Review

Our experience day to day varies quite a bit based on what placement we are on, as we change between the different areas of the engineeering function every six months. In my current role I am working with another apprentice on some CAD models, once a week we have a meeting with our boss to discuss changes that need to be made and the direction the project is going towards.

Something I have been working on for the majority of the apprenticeship is my public speaking. I am not the most confident person when speaking to a group but over the time I've been here I have been put into more and more situations of giving presentations to groups, which has meant that I have got better at it. I discovered that I am a lot more confident when I know the subject matter inside out so I make sure to go through everything thoroughly beforehand.

The work is interesting and varied, employees and bosses and generally helpful when I get stuck on issues. The best part of the apprenticeship is the community of apprentices, they have generally already come across the same issues that you might find and so are helpful and willing to help. Some of the placements are less enjoyable, but we get to have input into where we would like to try next.

The apprenticeship was not very stuctured when I started, which worked at the time as there were not many apprentices working here at that point and the apprentice manager was based solely on our site. Over time more apprentices have started working here and the apprentice manager now looks after two sites, so the apprenticeship has got more structured for the years below me, we now have structured 12-week reviews and generally the process has been formalised.

The apprentice manager is available if I need him, but I don't generally see much of him these days as he is no longer based in the same office as us. The other apprentices are generally my first port of call if I get stuck with anything, but I know where to go if I have any bigger issues.

I have been happy generally with the support received from my tutor at college. I have guidance from him or my classmates if needed, and have been made aware of the deadlines and what is expected of me. I enjoy college days as they break up the work week and a lot of the work we are doing on the HNC is maths and physics based, with is what I enjoy doing.

The qualification doesn't tend to be directly relevant to the work I am doing. I get the impression that the topics we are covering could one day be useful, but not for my day to day role. Some of the more useful parts have been when we were learning about beams and moments, and project management, as I have used both of these in my work.

I used to be a STEM ambassador, so the company used to release me to go to some of the events to encourage children to pursue careers in engineering, but I have since stopped doing that. There is a gym onsite that is free to use, for employees. I've been once.

Yes

Being at BAE Systems as an apprentice is a big opportunity to get into an interesting and challenging career. The apprentices are treated like adults rather than kids, so we get given responsibilities and targets and the opportunity to actually contribute to the success of the business. The pay isn't bad either.

I would reccommend finding out as much as you can about the business, how it works and the vehicles we work with. This helps with your application but also helps once you actually start, as you'll have a strong basis for the work you'll be doing within the business. Also, make sure you apply for the correct position, as some of the job roles on our website are not very clear.