Electrical Technician Review

My apprenticeship role was Provide electrical engineering support for the facilities at our 2 main sites as well as international science research centres, a broad variety of work for senior engineers from creating crates and racks to installing and terminating cables that help form larger installations. Day to day was spent working either independently or with a qualified technician to perform engineering work in most areas around site including specialist scientific locations.

My job has given me many skills, both technical and academic including a HNC+HND, specialist Electrical qualifications such as a 2394 and 2395 in Inspection and testing as well as my 17th and now 18th edition qualifications. But on top of this I developed my personal skills and confidence, learning how to communicate technical ideas to others how to organise myself and make arrangements with others such as meetings and local discussions.

I enjoyed the program for the majority of the time, I've been given more qualifications than I thought possible and I work in a world leading research centre. I've been given some amazing opportunities both locally and abroad and continue to receive exciting work post-apprenticeship. That said the structure of the company and small workforce sometimes means that personal 1 to 1 training is in many situations limited, as people only have so much free time to give.

The structure of the program is well set out and my pathway and those of the people who were apprentices alongside me were understood from an early stage. I knew what qualifications I would need, and the rough time frame I would be given to complete them. However there were sometimes difficulties in finding the right kind of work for me to perform in order to meet the assessment criteria for my NVQ qualifications.

My line manager was always on hand to provide assistance helping arrange placements and assist me in applying for opportunities as they arose. There are also good provisions on-site for safeguarding and mental health, which I feel is important, as well as the technical skill to solve any work based problems I may be facing. I was always encouraged to take my personal development as far as I could, being supplementary training to support me as my job role diversified. However, again in a 1 to 1 situation the direct on the job support could often be found lacking.

I received excellent support from my training officers in helping me to achieve my NVQ, in many respects they went above and beyond to make sure that my work output was properly reflected in the quality of my portfolio. However the support in the HNC and HND was sorely lacking as there appears to be great difficulty in finding staff members with the right qualifications as both teachers and engineers. For the future of engineering in this country I hope this seriously improves long term.

My qualifications were in many respects, either of limited relevance to my job role or pitched at such a high academic level that they would be of limited significance to my current technicians role. However as my role within the company develops I feel they may become more relevant to my future.

There are meditation classes, and networking opportunities as well as frequent social nights arranged by my department. I have networked with IET members on a number of occasions and could do more in the future if it was of interest. There's a running club, an on-site gym and as we're set in a pretty part of Cheshire no shortage of walks to go on. On top of this the company frequently arranges events to participate in.

Yes

Because it has set me on a fantastic pathway for the future as an electrical technician and possibly engineer, my work continues to help me grow and develop. I have more qualifications than I thought possible and It remains an exciting place to work. Even though I could list a number of areas to improve the pro's most definitely outweigh the cons.

You must be able to demonstrate an interest/passion for the area you want to apply to. There are many ways to do this that may not be immediately apparent but bring evidence to an interview and show it. Good conduct and motivation is highly important, and it is in no way about just qualifications as they can be trained for in the future. Never be afraid to apply, there is a place in science for everybody.