OME Engineer Review

I currently work as an engineer on classified defence projects. This can range from designing products and components to producing research documents for up and coming technologies. the apprenticeship allows you to rotate within the business every 3-4 months into a new job role so you are constantly learning new skills and being part of new teams during the apprenticeship. Also, I have regular contact with external companies including the MoD and others.

I'm in my first placement of the apprenticeship, and I am currently office based, I've had the opportunity to develop my Computer Aided Design skills in the real world. Designing new products to ensure that they meet the given specifications, I've also developed my typical office based skills such as report and specification writing.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the programme so far, the flexibility within the company is exceptional, ensuring that I'm always doing something that I enjoy. The training provided is excellent, it is set as block release so that you go off to the training provider for two weeks at a time, meaning you are more free to travel with the company if necessary at other times, unlike similar day release programmes.

The programme is very well organised, the dates I am in university were made clear at the start of the academic year so that I could book hotels for the year and organise my time around it. the timetables for university are the same for each block so there's no confusion, and the workplace organisation is excellent, you have a strong input into where you would like your next placement to be within the business.

I receive plenty of support, they are very supportive of my university work, trying to keep it relevant to the workplace and enhancing it in whatever way possible. They are quite good at ensuring you are comfortable with what you are doing in work, and have a strong support system for your work and wellbeing.

My employer is very supportive of the training, they had a big part in creating the qualification themselves so it is in their best interest to support me fully. I have workplace mentors that are specialists in the modules I'm studying to give me any extra help that I require and they have policies regarding work related study to ensure that you have enough time to get it done, such as study leave and exam leave.

My qualification greatly enhances my ability in work, it is a specialist degree designed for the defence industry, therefore a lot of stuff can't easily be learned prior to employment due to it's classified nature. having a training provider that is able to enhance my knowledge and go deeper into the background of what we do in work is invaluable

Yes, there are frequent opportunities to host STEM events, such as visiting careers fairs and giving presentations to educational institutes. this is a good networking opportunity to meet other companies, additional to this, there are training courses that you may be put on that could be all across the country where it is also good to meet other employers. the site also ahs a gym, sports hall and squash court, all free to use and there are regular team events that you can get involved in if you want to.

Yes

BAE Systems has been able to offer a full degree with the potential to progress onto masters and beyond fully sponsored. this has been an invaluable bonus, the experience gained throughout the apprenticeship coupled with the knowledge from university is going to set me up with a great engineering career. the financial prospects are also worth considering, for example, the next 5 years sees an approximate £20,000 pay increase, while not paying out for the education.

Research the company, it is a reliable industry and you're always working on something interesting, being involved in classified projects gives you a completely new view on engineering than most industries. the progression within the company is also exceptional, some of the directors of the company started off as apprentices, and now you can start off as a degree apprentice so you don't have any debt, you get a full degree with real workd experience, all while getting paid a good salary.