Technician Review

For the first year of the apprenticeship, it is 5 days a week at college. This is a mixture of theory and practical work, with the theory including: Mechanical Principles, Mathematics for Engineers, Engineering Drawing and Electronic Principles, with 6 theory units in total which require reports based on given scenarios. The practical varies throughout the year from units such as: Programming PLC’s, Milling and Turning, Working with Fluid Power Systems, Working with Electrical Systems, with 17 practical units in total. These jobs are required to meet given specified criteria, and reports are made to provide evidence of this, which is then referenced back to the criteria specification.

Through the course of the first year, I have both developed existing skills and learnt a wide range of new skills. Due to the amount of practical units that are completed, there is potentially a range of previous experience levels, but I can almost guarantee there will be at least one or two units that will be completely new to most people, for which knowledge, understanding and skill is built and developed throughout the course of the unit, and year, as the complexity of the work increases.

Be under no illusions, there is a lot of work, and keeping on top of it requires motivation and good time management. Having said this, I find it very enjoyable, learning a vast array of skills, and developing existing skills is great. The Swindon BMW apprentices are always a close group, and working alongside people with a range of previous experiences, both life and work, is a great opportunity to learn, and have a laugh.

The awarding body is EAL, and the structure of there specified criteria, ensure that throughout the units, jobs are done to cover a range of performance and skill criteria. This ensures that there are different features, and therefore different skills, required to learn or develop in order to meet the criteria. The College can be quite haphazard at times, but personal skills such as time management, ensuring that deadlines are met, ensuring back ups of work are kept etc. attempt to minimise the effects of this.

BMW Plant Swindon is a great employer, due to being a relatively small plant, the sense of teamwork and closeness is obvious. The immediate manager to the apprentices is brilliant, providing as much support as possible whenever is required, keeping us up to date on BMW and plant news, and working with the college to attempt to ensure the best learning experience for the apprentices.

Being at the training provider 5 days a week, from 8:30 - 5:50 most days allows them to provide support when required. The large majority of the lecturers teach to a high standard, ensuring that a full understanding is obtained before moving on. The large majority of college facilities are also excellent, with the use of recent releases of AutoCAD, electrical equipment, fluid power equipment and machinery.

The qualification proves competency in a wide range of units, and theoretical understanding in others. This will be applied repeatedly throughout the course of the first year alone, and no doubt throughout the course of the apprenticeship as well as further into the job role itself. The personal skills detailed in questions above are also essential to performance throughout the apprenticeship and job role.

The first week as an employee is a residential-style trip, this is with all of that year’s apprentices across BMW group UK. This provides an opportunity to create a network across sites and across the UK, learning new skills and working in teams. This network could lead to extra-curricular activities outside of work as well. There is also a yearly ‘mountain challenge’ which is a teamwork challenge to complete tasks, this is a great weekend experience and achievements are recognised and highly regarded for successes in this event.

Yes

The BMW group is one of the leading car manufacturers in the world, and their apprenticeship scheme is highly regarded. The opportunities provided throughout the apprenticeship are excellent, including international exchange with foreign apprentices, varied work placements etc. The wage is excellent, especially being paid for learning, and the car scheme is also a great perk.

My advice would be to start developing the personal skills detailed above before applying, so that you are ready for the course. I would also say that patience during the application process is important, and they will tell you whether you are successful in reaching the next stage of the process or not, in time. Researching both the company and the plant is import for the interview, as this will be tested. A project is also required, so undertaking a project, through previous education or personal projects, and evidence of this (the product created, documents, images, drawings) should be taken to the interview day. It is essential to read the communications throughout the application process, as it will contain crucial information on what is required of the applier.