Electronics Apprentice Review

As an STFC electronics apprentice working at RAL there are 4 month placement rotations. The work done day-to-day is quite varied depending on the department holding the placement, but in all placements there is 1 day a week day release for college. Common tasks across the placements can be soldering, wiring, programming, design, testing, fault finding and repairing electronics.

Prior to the apprenticeship I had some electronics skills from school and home, however over the 4 year apprenticeship I have developed on all these skills greatly. A prime example of this is soldering and some basic circuit building. I have also learnt many new skills and continued to develop on them over the course, this includes circuit design and Arduino programming.

Overall I've had an enjoyable experience over the course of the apprenticeship programme. Each day is varied so the work doesn't get boring and it always remains interesting. As the work of STFC is scientific research there are opportunities to integrate with scientists and learn about the science that my work supports.

During my time as an apprentice in STFC the management and structure has changed. On whole this has improved the organisation as now a placement plan is set at the beginning of the year and stuck to, this means apprentices and supervisors always know what placements are upcoming and there is opportunity to change it in advanced if the apprentice wishes.

There is good support from the employer this is in many aspects. First there are good supervisors and colleagues within the placements to support the learning and development of electronics skills and knowledge, this can be in aid of the work to do or even to help with college work. As well as this there is good support from management to apprentices for personal issues for issues from outside of work.

STFC have now had changes in training providers since I've started my qualifications. Mine were completed with Birmingham Metropolitan College at the MINI plant Oxford MINIcademy. Here I felt I didn't receive the best support I could've to do my level 3 BTEC but I've heard better things about the OAS who are now the training provider.

Coming straight from GCSEs into the apprenticeship meant I only had some basic understanding of electronic theory. Since studying the BTEC level 3, NVQ level 2 & 3 and HNC my understanding in electronics and engineering in general has been furthered. This new knowledge has been regularly applied to the work I do day to day so not only have these qualifications helped me to perform better, but they have also been applied to real problems and work which has helped me to solidify my knowledge.

On the STFC RAL site there are many opportunities to get involved in extra-curricular activities. First there are annual leagues onsite in sports such as football and rounders, during lunch there are many clubs such as languages courses, yoga and tennis. There is also the rec-soc (RAL recreational society) which hold a range of activities such as sports, music and model building.

Yes

Working at STFC RAL provides a nice working environment with welcoming colleagues who are always happy to help. As STFC is a government funded body for scientific research it means that there is good job security and many benefits. Benefits of working within STFC include a large holiday allowance and flexible working hours.

If applying for an apprenticeship in STFC be sure to attach a good CV and covering letter as many applicants forget the covering letter which makes them unable to be considered for the next stage. If your application progresses into testing and an interview stay relaxed and don't be too anxious as compared to other local companies it's a less intimidating process.