Apprentice Toolmaker Review

Currently I’m in the first year of the apprenticeship so on a day to day basis I’m attending college full time and am learning a wide range of skills that will be required for my job role in the future. These skills help develop me as an all-round engineer. My job role is an apprentice tool maker, so after my 4 years (the length of the apprenticeship) I will be working in the tool room.

During this year I have learnt a wide range of skills that I can take into the workplace. These include hands on practical skills such as: turning, milling and hand fitting activities. As well as useful academic skills such as: engineering maths, electronics and mechanical principles. Furthermore, I’ve also developed existing skills such as social and communicational skills as well as team building as there is a lot of team work required during everyday activities.

The programme is very enjoyable as there is a vast amount of knowledge given to us during everyday activities. I also liked the way the knowledge is shared from the lecturers as this knowledge is given through practical and theory lessons which allows learning to be achieved in many different ways which is also very enjoyable.

The portfolio log that is required for the course allows me to have a well organised and structured log of all signed off work that I have produced. The EAL criteria for each unit is also beneficial for the structure of work as it allows all a wide range of criteria to be achieved. There is room for improvement for the college for the handling of work, but as a whole, the programme is reasonably well structured and organised.

There is a wide range of support from the employer at all times, if at any point you are struggling with work then all that is required is mentioning it to the company and you will receive the support needed to help with the work. Furthermore, I know that if I’m struggling with anything in the workplace then the other associates in work will be more than happy to help me.

The college offer a wide range of support throughout the year. This includes the offer of additional engineering maths sessions through the year as well as additional support in other lessons such as electronics. The lecturers are always happy to help and are widely available outside the allocated lesson times if any support is needed.

With the college a wide range of knowledge is given to you as part of the units being performed, in total in the first year there are 17 - level 2 units that are performed as well as 6 - level 3 units. These help develop you as an engineer and ensure you feel comfortable and competent enough to perform a wide range of work that will be required in later job roles.

When you are first employed as an apprentice there is a trip to Skern lodge, here you develop team building skills and get to know each of the other new apprentices in your plant as well as other BMW Group plants around the UK. Furthermore, there is also extra-curricular activities available in the work place such as a mountain challenge (which is an annual event), a cycle to work scheme and charity cake bakes.

Yes

There is a wide range of knowledge given to you to make you the best engineer you can possibly be. Also, there is a wide range of opportunities available to all in the work force that allow you to further develop as an engineer and a person. The business treat you well and you have the opportunity to meet some great people.

Firstly, I just want to talk you through the application process: When you first apply you must complete a set of documents, fill these out to the best of your ability and be sure to show that you have an interest in engineering. If you get through this stage then you will have to complete a set of tests online, it’s important to use any practice questions or tests available when the tests are set. Revise the tests using the practice papers and make sure you have a go at all of the questions in the test. After that, you may get an invite to an assessment centre. This includes a wide range of tests in plant and an informal interview. The key here is to be yourself and give everything you can. After the assessment centre there will be a formal interview. Again just be yourself and be calm, you may be asked to produce and present a presentation. During these processes the business will be whittling down to their final choices for the apprenticeship. It’s important to be patient and if you don’t get the apprenticeship first time apply again the following year and give it another go. There is a lot of work that is required to be performed in the first year, as long as you abide by deadlines then it will be ok.