Higher Apprentice Review

Work with my department to complete the tasks given to me. This can involve administrative, engineering, or practical help. I also have to track what I do for my NVQ qualification. Most nights I need to revise and complete assignments for university. I'm currently doing placements all around the business.

I have learnt many CAD skills through my core department. I have also learnt many business skills through the companies education program SuccessFactors. I have also learnt many skills from the university, such as electrical engineering and fluid engineering. Although you are taught many things, not all of them are applicable to your work life.

The wage for the job role is good, being in the top percentage of people of my age range. Although, it is not undeserved due to the high volume of work and stress that comes with it. It's hard to balance work and university with hobbies and social life. The enjoyment of the apprentice depends massively on what department you are placed in. Most holidays are spent doing university work.

The program is well organised and thought through, this was not the case initially but my home department have done a lot with the apprentice team to improve it. The 6 year apprenticeship has been mapped out before I joined and has been edited with feedback. University and college could be improved as their organisation and planning is plain terrible. The workplace is around 9/10 and Uni/College around 3-4/10.

Support varies depending on department. My current department is very supportive of what I do. If you need help with work they are happy to give advice and time for me to do university work. The university is not very supportive, they used to understand the need for changing blocks but have recently revoked this. Work 8, Uni 4.

The university is not very organised and the courses seem a little hap hazard. There seems to be little thought into planning the exams and coursework. Some lecturers are happy to help but others are just sarcastic. They don't seem to understand that we all have full time jobs that we need to do too. Like this year putting loads of coursework towards the end of the year, meaning we had 0 downtime for almost 4 months straight. Which would be fine for a normal student but we are working from 7am-10pm each day has its drawbacks.

I feel that the training from the University and College has impacted my workplace performance by a very small amounts. I have used some mechanical equations a few times and that is about it. I could happily perform my job role without my degree. Currently the university course has no real importance other than it is a degree on my CV. Most of the stuff needed to be taught could be learned on a friday afternoon through youtube. 70% of the university modules will be unimportant.

There are work do's such as the Christmas party. Between the apprentices there is always something going on, such as nights out and parties. It is really easy to get into the social side of the apprenticeship. With the University does come the benefit of joining university sports. But most university sport games take place during work hours so dont get your hopes up there.

No

Currently with all the stuff happening to JLR in the news etc it is smart to stay away for now. The degree apprenticeship is great for the free degree and the great pay, but it does put a big drain on your social life, and takes up most of your early 18-20s which should really be enjoyed. If I could go back I would have done university instead and taken the debt.

If you want to apply wait for the brexit ordeal to blow over, they are currently not hiring so you will need to wait for it to open back up. Just answer all of the entrance questions honestly. If your personality doesnt match up to the companies needs, no worries. The point of the questions is to see if you match with the work ethic here, if you lie you wont be enjoying working here and you will be clashing. Do some background research on the company. Try do some things in your spare time you can talk about, hobbies etc, and think of examples of times you have gone through a tough time, or have taken an interest in engineering something. Something as simple as fixing a clock.