Fabricator Review

I am a plater/fabricator and each day I report to my training manager to be given a job on ship which helps towards completing my NVQ book work and also helps me in gaining the knowledge I need for the future of my career. I learn a lot every day with new work coming in and new experiences with different tradesmen.

I have gone from knowing very little about the industry I work in, to now knowing quite a lot. there is still much to learn in regards to fabricating however my knowledge and skill level has risen tenfold since the beginning of my apprenticeship and im excited to start learning more.

the programme is very enjoyable in regards to the work given, the jobs are sometimes challenging and make you think. This process is very enjoyable and helps my push my career in the direction I want. Some aspects of the programme can be a bit rubbish in regards to the paperwork organisation as we lacked an assessor for our work for over 6 months. the companies organisation can be very poor in the workforce side and also the office side of things. I enjoy what I do but I feel I would benefit more if there was a better plan for the apprentices and this should be brought to attention and rectified for upcoming apprentices.

The programme is not very organised. this ranges from who will be teaching you in the training centre, who will be assessing your paperwork. my year of apprentices had the joy of being a part of the company when they changed from one company to another and some apprentices paperwork got lost in this process resulting in a lot of stress for us and worry. We also didn't have an assessor to mark our work for over 6 months which put us at a halt. This wasted our time as we could not get on with anything more without our work being marked.

The support is pretty good and that ranges from mental support to health check-ups and also help with work and guidance. the majority of team leaders I have met are very easy going and deal with people very well. there is an occupational health centre where you can check your body over and see your health and also receive physiotherapy if needed or just someone to talk to.

When working towards our qualification we do receive good help and guidance however we are only allotted a certain amount of time to work on our paperwork and sometimes this can be limiting. as said before, we did not have an assessor for a while so this resulted in no guidance or help for over 6 months.

Some qualifications I have already received like a cherry picker license and other things along those lines are only accepted in this yard, they are non-transferrable. I am not fully qualified yet as I have just over 1 year left. I don't feel the qualification helps me work better but more my attitude and level of maturity and the thrive to do well in what I do.

There are extra-curricular activities such as joining up with the navy football teams or running clubs, I don't get exposed to much of this at all so my knowledge is very little but its something that should be pushed forward onto upcoming apprentices as this would give everyone a better chance to do more and socialise and network.

Yes

Its a great apprenticeship and qualification and its a great rate of pay for an apprenticeship. Its totally worth getting in to whether you pursue it as a career or not. Its a great way to learn a trade and if you ever go somewhere else, the company is a great company to of worked for and show in your C.V. Bae look out for you in regards to a pention scheme, shares and even yearly bonuses depending on company progress.

Apply as soon as you can. Its a great apprenticeship to get into, its worth every second and it may seem long at first but it soon flies by and sooner or later youll be qualified on a great salary with tonnes of experience which you can take with you anywhere in the world. you would be silly not to sign up.