Engineering Technician Apprentice Review

I am an engineering technician which means I am often involved in more technical roles that require me to take steps back from the standard production roles. This can involve producing the work intructions the workers follow, help in measuring the panels using a 3D software to check for errors, and generally helping to improve the processes.

If I was to include the year that was dedicated to college I would say I have learnt a vast amount of skills that are not all innately dedicated to engineering, for example I have some experience in electrical engineering and machining. When it comes to experience I have gained from work, I have developed skills in operating a robot measuring system, I have worked with new automated forklifts new to the plant, and many process improvement skills.

So far I have enjoyed every minute of the program, even when the work has gotten more difficult I still find ways to enjoy my learning. In addition, everyone at the plant is incredibly freindly and has often spent time with other apprentices so it means they know how to offer help and give the best learning opportunities.

The entire first year of the program is spent at college building up a large skill set that will be used throughout work, so a timetable is suplied along with all of the units you will be completing. Then in the second year you are given a plan of what departments you will be based in for the next three years, and from there each department will offer you a plan of what they want you to complete to get the basics for what they do.

There loads of opportunities to ask for help from my manager, and from there she can pass me on to the appropriate people on site who have had experience in the area im asking about. If i have any other issues that may affect me or someone I work with there are always people who are ready to help out however they can.

The college is more than willing to offer any support they can when working onsite, including offering extra math sessions, opportunites to ask for more time when struggling with a certain subject, and a person is dedicated to supporting all of the BMW employees at college to ensure we feel okay and all of our studying is going well.

Without the skills I have developed at college I think all of the work at plant would be so much more difficult. A lot of the areas I am working in now often have difficult to understand processes or programs that take time to break down and understand, but as I have learnt a large range of subjects I can often relate my current work back to jobs I have completed in the past.

Through the BMW network there are always opportunites to take part extra activities that can help to raise money for the house charities, there is an opportunity to take part in a mountain challenge against other plants, and at the start of the apprenticeship you go on a team building weekend full of activities to get to know everyone.

Yes

I believe BMW gives you the full package, you get a good wage, you work good hours, they are a good company with many benefits of working for them, you get a varied amount of training that are skills for life, there are many opportunties to work in different departments and even plants across the country.

Even though it can sometimes seem the long way of applying, I would reccomend without a doubt that you should at least spend a year studying an engineering subject. Not only does this look good on the CV but it also helps to ease you into the studying as you can draw a lot of previous work to help you out and allow you to build upon an already strong foundation of knowledge.