Apprentice Test and Commission Engineer Review

Apprentice Test and Commission engineer. Day to day is working with the commissioning team on sites all over the UK on 25kV railway substations. This is mixed with time in the office with the design and handback teams. I am currently mainly based on site as this is the role I wish to go into.

I have learned a great deal about the railway infrastructure and how HV switchgear works. I feel like my communication skills have come on leaps and bounds as Siemens push you to do most things yourself as an individual. Due to the nature of the job my problem solving skills have also come on massively.

I enjoy the on site work, however due to the way I learn (practically) I sometimes struggle with long periods in the office. this is something that the company has taken on board and are working with me on more and more as they see me excelling on site works.

Being as we are one of the first groups of apprentices to come through the company we struggled in the first two years with the company not really knowing what to do with us on down time from college. The improvement of the Siemens RE apprenticeship scheme is something that I am now taking on personally for all new starters.

The company is very good at giving guidance and everyone is happy to help. The teams are more than happy to give advice and give regular clear feedback on placements. This is something that is looked back on in our regular reviews with line and training managers. New documents for placement feedback have been introduced and help the placement process move smoother.

The support and feedback given is clear and easy to work from, this is something that over my near four years with Siemens has improved massively. They give support on all and any issue, be it personal or work related. In my opinion Siemens are currently leading mental health awareness and general well being.

Unfortunately I don't feel like much of my qualification is applicable to the job role i'm looking to go into. The course is a very generalised overview of Electrical and Electronic engineering and dosn't really specifically look at the job I do. However the base knowledge from the courses has been useful.

There isn't a great deal of this at Siemens outside of the normal office Christmas parties and leaving parties. However being as I spend most of my time on site there is always opportunity for team bonding, things like dinner, bowling ect. This is something that Siemens could work on.

Yes

There is massive opportunity in the company to go into almost an industry and job role you want. The company is currently growing very quickly and moving into new sectors of work and there seems to be a new starter almost every week. There is a good solid 5 years work with the rail side of Siemens currently with more projects like HS2 coming in the future.

Be honest and yourself. Siemens look for someone who can do everything, its great if you excel at one thing in particular but they are looking for someone who is able to diversify and be able to move around. Come to Siemens with an open mind and be passionate about the engineering industry.