Higher Engineering Apprentice Review

On a day to day basis my role is currently to complete a bench fitting module in the skills development centre, after a few months this will change and I will be on a placement within the business which can vary widely from civil engineering to testing or design. The initial bench fitting and associated other modules are intended to teach key practical skills to new apprentices and are effective in this. On a typical day my role will involve arriving at 7:10 to clock in for (and be in overalls by) 7:30 to start the task given by my instructor, in the case of the bench fitting unit I created a tap wrench however in other units engines may need to be disassembled or wiring done. The only negative part of this is that you will be standing for a long period of time and may be in an uncomfortable position when carrying out some activities, you do however get used to this.

I have learnt a wide range of new skills since starting my apprenticeship, as mentioned previously I have completed a bench fitting unit which has vastly improved my hand skills such as filing and my skills using a drill press. I also had to tap and ream holes by hand along with threading a rod, which is something I had never tried before. We have worked with a wide range of materials for this and at CEMAST college which we attend every Tuesday I have also learned new skills in terms of improvement to my maths skills and developed my existing skills on milling machines. The start at CEMAST was quite slow however with our first day having zero teachers for the entire day to teach us and the following Tuesdays suffering a similar lack of staff, due to this we have been behind in our units which we have yet to catch up on.

I enjoy my programme a lot, although it took me a while to adjust to the new working hours coming from A-levels this was a small hurdle. My journey to work is enjoyable, taking me through the historic dockyard and then past the more modern ships, my interest in which being why I chose this apprenticeship. I find the atmosphere in the training centre to be pleasant and the trainers helpful. The SDC is kept in good shape and resources are readily available with instructors being keen to help answer any questions. Overall the SDC has been very enjoyable. Once again the only part of the programme I do not particularly enjoy is CEMAST college as this is quite a long commute if you do not have a car and live in Portsmouth, as well as this I find that I do not have enough time during working hours to complete my coursework to a standard I am happy with as during regular working days in the SDC we have other units and work to be completing. However apart from this the programme has been enjoyable, the small placements I have done in the business and introduction week were enjoyable, engaging and interesting and I am satisfied with the skills I have developed. I am now looking forward to going out into the business for long term placements and my experiences so far indicate that these will be very useful to my learning and will also be engaging.

I would say that my programme is pretty well structured although at times the structure can be hard to understand and on occasion I have been left confused on what I am supposed to be doing next. This is quite easily solved by talking to the instructors however so does not pose much of an issue. I would also say at some points we have been left with gaps in the structure which can be a positive or negative thing depending on if you have work to catch up on.

I'd say we receive a fair amount of support from our employer, the instructors work to ensure you understand what you have been taught and if you are struggling will try to help. I would say however that there is not a lot of time available when at work to complete college work which means if you struggle with the coursework it can be hard to get help.

As mentioned before the training provider we use is CEMAST college, I would say compared to the support we receive in the SDC it is much lower. There are a few lessons in CEMAST where I have not understood the topic and the class has been moved on regardless without any support for others to catch up on the topic. As mentioned previously this is probably due to the fact we are behind in our subjects but it seems unfair that we take the penalty for the poor organization at the start of our course.

The qualifications provided help me to perform my role better as they give a deeper understanding of how to design something in a way that leaves less up to chance for example by calculating beam stresses and also gives a greater understanding of what might cause these things to break, As well as this in the application of machine tools unit we learn valuable manufacturing information which could help with design work by ensuring the cost of part manufacture is reduced by not needing special tooling etc.

There are some extra-curricular activities available however due to the stricter time table we are not always able to do them. In terms of sports teams or social activities these would all have to be organized outside of the company, certainly I have never been told about any sports teams existing nor social activities although social activities have been arranged by apprentices independently of work.

Yes

I think that the apprenticeship has been useful to my learning so far and more than that I have enjoyed it. I would say it is worth while to try for anybody interested in engineering or defence systems. It has vastly improved my hand skills just within the first few months I have been on the scheme.

I would advise anybody applying to ensure that they have done some studying (even outside of school, doesn't necessarily need to be a qualification) on A-level maths and also to make sure that they are able to handle the early start as these two can really hold you back if you aren't ready for them. I'd also recommend that if you are moving for the apprenticeship you should link up with the other apprentices on your scheme before sorting your accommodation as it can help with commuting and affording rent/council tax. I'd also recommend you get a bike prior to starting as in the city these are very useful for commuting.