Engineering Apprentice Review

during my apprenticeship I moved around in three months blocks to different areas of the business. During these placements I would do engineering activities which would be completed in that department by engineers, many of these were design placements where I would carry out design based activities, but there are a range of placements

During the apprenticeship we developed on all of the engineering skills which we were learning at college. The scheme also helps develop personal skills such as public speaking, teamwork etc. These skills are developed on an apprentice specific course outside of work which the apprentices attend for a week in both second and third years

I enjoyed the scheme a lot, it gave me the chance to experience many different areas within engineering and so i could see which areas I thought would suit me in my further career. I also enjoyed the extra activities we could get involved with such as running stalls and presentations at schools.

The scheme is well organised, we are aware of the college course which we will be doing and attend on a day a week. The placements we will be going into are planned ahead of time and so we can see what departments we will be going into in the future.

The employer is very supportive in our learning. Many employees here are always happy to help and support for whatever is needed. We have the option of mentors from somewhere within the business. We are also given enough time and support to help with our college work if we require it.

The college is very supportive towards our qualifications. The staff at the college are mostly happy to give additional support outside of lesson times if we seek out this help and are also very supportive during lesson times with any queries we have on the work or assignments being done.

I think some aspects of the training we are provided with helps in our role. The vocational qualification teaches us basic machining and manufacturing which assists greatly in our roles. Some topics in our qualification may not directly relate to work we will be doing but gives a wider breadth of knowledge to engineering.

The company has a sports and social area with many activities we can get involved with. They have a gym on site which can be used at lunch or after work. We are also often encouraged to volunteer for external apprentice events which could be networking or presenting to externals.

Yes

MBDA has been a great place to work, the company have been great and are keen to develop their employees whether in further education and training or personal development, this is very accessible. The apprenticeship has been a very good scheme and is a great entrance into an engineering career.

Prepare a portfolio of achievements for the interview process this can include any achievements in and out of school which could be slightly relevant to a career. Do research into the company further to find out more about it and if on the recruitment day ask many questions to show interest