apprentice engineer Review

on a day to day basis, my job role is hugely varied, once you begin your second year (until the end of your forth year) you start doing placements around the airport so you may experience all the areas of engineering that Gatwick has to offer. these placements are 3 months long and you will be working on the job with technicians. these technicians will teach you about the job and also you learn valuable skills while working with them. at Gatwick safety is paramount, so you will be able to get very hands on while working safely along side the technicians. the job its self is very varied due to the nature of the apprenticeship program, you will experience every area of the airport throughout your apprenticeship, and learn huge amounts about what goes on behind the scenes.

since beginning at Gatwick airport on the apprenticeship program, I have learnt a huge amount from the many faces in engineering and other areas. the job has allowed me to get really hands on and muck in on jobs so my technical skills have improved tenfold. I have learnt about power generation, distribution, circuits, equipment and many more applications of electrical power; (my knowledge on these topics was minimal before the apprenticeship) this has given me a greater understanding of engineering as a whole as well as these skills are hugely transferable and important to possess. alongside my technical knowledge I have gained by working on the job, I have also gained skills from my first year at east surrey college. I have developed my mathematic skills hugely, my electrical theory and completed a level 2 competency course at east surrey college. this involves skills such as, turning, milling, welding and benchwork. these are very handy skills to have under your belt as it makes you much more competent in the workplace, if the need to fabricate a component if the need ever arose.

choosing Gatwick was one of the best decisions that I have made. this apprenticeship program is thoroughly enjoyable, its the first time that I have looked forward to going to work on a Monday! so far in my apprenticeship I have experienced a large amount of Gatwick, and worked on multiple engineering sections, and each day is different and exciting. you are constantly being kept on the ball and sucked in to the work you are doing. the infrastructure at Gatwick is diverse and interesting and often modified to work perfectly for the airport. working on this kind of specialist equipment keeps the job fresh and diverse. the people Gatwick employ to work for them are of a certain kind, everyone around the airport is friendly, helpful and has lots of knowledge to teach to you. I have yet to meet somebody who acts otherwise, its called the Gatwick family for a reason! the program offers huge amounts of support, we now have a dedicated apprentice manager who get us involved in tonnes of events and courses, and when ever some rare or interesting work is going on, he gives us the opportunity to drop our schedule and go and do that for the day. the program is catered around the individual so they can receive the best training and the most support they can get.

the structure of the apprenticeship program is very well done, in your first year you will attend east surrey college and complete level 2 and level 3 BTEC's. in your second year you will work on Gatwick 4 days a week and attend college 1 day a week to complete a further level 3 BTEC, in your third year you will begin shift work which is 4 days a week, and the same goes for your final year. the program is laid out from the start date and the placements are decided closer to the time.

Gatwick give their apprentices and workers huge amounts of support, this has allowed me to grow as a person exponentially. what I like the most is that, Gatwick will not hold your hand, but if you ever seek guidance, council, help or even just to chat to someone Gatwick is there for you at the push of a button, all you need to do is ask. there is a saying that there are no stupid questions at Gatwick, and it is 100% true, you are undertaking this apprenticeship to learn, to grow and to make mistakes, so it is the perfect time to do so. the HR team is open all working hours of the day, the apprentice manager will always be there to help, be it 1pm or 1am. and any of the technicians you work with will happily lend you their ear.

at Gatwick we are trained by both GAL and east surrey college, we get our paper qualifications from East surrey college and the majority of our hands on training from Gatwick. the support that we receive at Gatwick and east surrey college is second to none. all we need to do is ask for the support if needed, the quality of the teaching at college is very good but if you are ever stuck on anything a simple question in class or an email out of hours will ensure you get the support that you require, if ever you are in need of support at work then the technicians are always happy to help you out and the apprentice manager has his phone on 24h a day.

the qualifications that we receive at college are a brilliant foundation in to the world of engineering. we are taught both mechanical qualifications as well as electrical qualifications. this means that we are able to enter the workplace with a fairly good understanding of what is happening around us and also a good grasp on what you are working on, as you work with the technicians more and more they pass down knowledge that is invaluable and your skills grow even more.

there are tonnes of events that Gatwick either host or organise in the working year. to start, the apprenticeship program plays a large part in the recent stem program which is aimed at schools to get more children and teenagers in to engineering. at these events Gatwick staff (aswell as a number of apprentices) will go to a school with exhibits and gadgets to show what kind of work we do here at Gatwick, this is also aimed at schools to push towards other kinds of education after year 11, instead of just guiding the children towards A-levels and university. there is the annual Gatfest which is a party thrown by Gatwick to celebrate its birthday and those who work at Gatwick! the apprenticeship program also runs an outward bounds week for all apprentices from years 1-4 each year, which is a week away in the summer doing team building activities such as rock climbing, raft building, team hikes and overnight camping; brilliant fun! there are numerous other events and extra curricular weekly that is hosted by Gatwick, which are available for anyone to take part in!

Yes

to summarise, this is one of the best apprenticeships out there, certainly the best from my searches when I was applying. the support from Gatwick is monumental, at anytime of the day you can seek guidance, help or counsel, as well as Gatwick pushing you to better your self. the layout of the program is brilliant and varied, the work its self is interesting across the board. the people here are Gatwick really are a family and are always open and friendly, the pay is very competitive. and this is one of the best workplaces to grow yourself and your skills

Gatwick has a huge amount of people apply each year, and only take 4-5 apprentices each time. it is a seriously competitive application process. so do your best to stand out, make your CV pop, tell us why you have a passion for engineering, tell us about your self, why do you think you deserve the apprenticeship over others? another good tip would be to use photos, if you bought a banged up old car and restored it, show us photos of the process, if you helped install radiators or lights in your home, show us photos of the process. even small things like taking apart a lawnmower engine to see how it works. we want to see why you want to work in engineering.