Apprentice Engineer Review

My role is to assist the experienced engineers with the day-to-day challenges which occur on a construction site. I fulfil this role by helping with setting out of earthworks and by helping with paperwork. This allows me to learn while I am working and gain important knowledge off experienced professionals. I am tasked with working as part of a team which delivers high quality engineering works on the Highland Enhancement Project.

Since starting with BAM I have successfully achieved a distinction mark in my Level 3 subsidiary diploma from Leeds College of building. I have successfully passed both my CSCS test and my PTS (Personal Track Safety). I have also learned how to set out engineering works by using a GPS.

I enjoy my programme to an extent. I enjoy working as part of a team and tackling challenges in order to find solutions. BAM has a great company culture where everyone is respected. However I don't enjoying having to live 3 hours away from home and I find this difficult. Overall, I enjoy my apprenticeship.

My programme is well strucutred. Upon arriving at college we were given a thorough company induction which gave us an insight into the daily goings on at BAM. The training I have received has been of a very good standard. Studying at LCB wasnt as structured as it could have been for various reasons.

I have received some support from my manager. However, I think more support should be given too young people who are expected to live away from home and work. I've not yet met my mentor. The general attitude towards me has been genuinely helpful in enabling me to learn.

I think we received good support from Leeds college of building in our time there. We could easily access materials which provided ample support during our studies. However, in my opinion more support could have been given as sometimes our tutors didn't give enough details to support our learning.

I feel that my qualification has helped me perform my role better to an extent. As I didn't have too much previous knowledge on the subject of construction my college work gave me a platform to ensure I had the necessary knowledge which I could apply in my work on site.

There are no extra-curricular activities which I am involved in at my work. When I am not working I use the gym provided by BAM or watch films in my bunkerbin away from home. I used to play football but I can't do this anymore due to being away from home.

Yes

I would recommend BAM to a friend as they offer a platform to learn a good trade in an exciting trade. They allow me to earn and learn at the same time. This is an ideal scenario as I'm getting paid , gaining experience and getting qualifications at the same time.

I would advise that anyone wanting to learn a trade in civil engineering is that you should be prepared to work away from home. You should be well organised and have to be adaptable. You need to be able to be improvise and work well within a team in order to tackle challenges.