Manufactring Apprentice Review

I run the bagging machines in the chocolate area of the factory. I am in charge of a team of four members and my role is to ensure that they are all carrying out their day to day tasks correctly. I go to daily meetings to inform management of the general running of the machine.

I have learnt a few skills such as communication skills. I have also gained technical skills in day to day running of the machines. My presentation skills have greatly improved while working here as well. I have also gained a lot of skills in problem solving and continuous improvement techniques.

I am not enjoying my program at the moment. I feel like I am not being challenged in the way that I should be. I should come into work everyday and have a different thing to learn. However, I am currently coming into work and packing eight bags into a box and not doing much else with my time.

My program hasn't been well structured or well organized at all. With different managers leaving and no new manager to take over, the scheme fell apart. There is no end goal set for when you finish the apprenticeship so there is nothing at all for you to be working towards.

I had a lot of support during my first six months here. After that my manager and my apprentice support both went on long term sick. neither of them came back after this sickness so I had no assigned manager for up to a year of my apprenticeship. My new manager doesn't know much about the scheme so cannot help me progress.

I do not receive any support from my training provider when working towards my qualifications. I am very much left on my own terms of this. My manager wasn't even aware of what college work needed to be done when he became my manager. No one on site has any knowledge of how the qualification works so I get no support with this. The college tutor had very little knowledge on any of the courses she was teaching and has been asked to leave the business because of this.

The qualification that I am getting barely relates to the work I do on a day to day basis. I hardly ever put into practice what I have learnt at college in the workplace. I have a lot of untapped potential and knowledge that can be used here but this isn't being exploited effectively.

There used to be a few activities that people could get involved in outside of work. During my first year I went to many different schools and used these opportunities to network with different companies. However due to cut backs in the company this no longer happens. The only social activities that happen with work colleagues are nights out that we have organized ourselves.

No

There are no opportunities to develop within this company. Currently loads of jobs are being cut from the company so potential job roles are being lost not created. The current state of this factory means that it is a very negative place to work and people are constantly worried about loosing their jobs.

I would say to make sure that you ask at the interview what your average day would look like whilst working here. This would ensure that you are fully aware of what job you are agreeing to do. Also make sure that you are as good for the job as the job is for you. There is no point in starting a job that you know isn't going to stretch you to the best of your ability.