Project Manager Review

In the BAE Systems Project Management Apprenticeship you complete 5 placements, each 12 months long. I am currently doing my second placement where I have been seconded away for RAF Coningsby. This means I have been relocated to work with the customer (RAF) at their site. My role this year is a bid lead which consists of taking requirements from the customer and creating a solution. This means I spend a lot of time on my computer creating statements of work and also engaging key stakeholders.

I have learnt many new skills since I have joined BAE Systems. The technical skills I have learnt that are crucial for Project Management have been learnt on the job and also through Uni. These are skills such as cost control through Excel, scheduling on MSP and EVM amongst many more. I have also improved many soft skills as well. In particular, my communication skills from speaking to a range of different stakeholders.

In comparison to other apprenticeship programmes the work that I do is varied and very interesting. The people you meet are great, there is a lot of young people who are in early careers and also a lot of experienced people in the company you can learn a lot from.

As this apprenticeship has been around for a long time they have had plenty of time to learn from experience. Any concerns or problems regarding the apprenticeship are listened to and acted upon by the scheme leaders. Overall, the scheme is well structured with a balance between Uni and work.

The scheme leader has been managing the scheme for some time and is great with people. Any concerns or problems anyone is having professional or personal are listened to and taken care of. There is also an understanding with the pressures from work and Uni as the scheme has been around for so long.

Within the scheme management team there is an understanding. However, there is no communication between the actual role managers and college which means that work can get extremely busy in placement alongside a busy Uni assignment hand in period. It would however be hard to actually open the comms and manage this in a way that would be beneficial for all.

You definitely learn a lot of the basic principles of PM through the Uni course and you also work towards the first APM qualification in your first year. The actual Uni topics have varying applicability to your day job but are mostly good to have knowledge/formulate opinions on anyway.

Because BAE is such a big company there is plenty of sports to get involved in depending on which site you work at. Within the scheme there is also many nights out etc that are being held either within your year or occasionally scheme wide. There also one off events that are held by BAE.

Yes

The obvious reasons regarding degree apprenticeships- earn whilst you learn etc. But also BAE Systems Project Management apprenticeship is highly regarded as one of the best Project Management apprenticeships in the country and the opportunities you get with a company this large is hard to compare against other companies that offer schemes.

Learn about the company before applying. Create a list of things that a company like BAE would want from an apprentice and how you meet them. Take your time to prepare for the assessment centre and ensure you show the right qualities. Also don't rush the application process, do it over the course of a few sittings.