Engineering Technician Review

Monday through to Friday for my first year as an Engineering Technician apprentice I am at college. Two days of the week are practical classes where I either do TIG welding, electrical wiring and pipe fitting. The other three days are purely theory based, these subjects include are on rotation every three weeks.

From the many subjects I have been taught over the last two blocks I have learned a large amount of knew information that has greatly improved preexisting skills. These skills include problem solving, working as part of a team and individually. I have learned many new skills as well, these include TIG welding, Electrical wiring and Pipe fitting.

I am really enjoying my apprenticeship, I have met some really nice people. This includes both staff and the other apprentices in my course. The company culture is very professional and to a high standard whilst being a nice place to be, kind of friendly in a way. So far this has exceeded my expectations.

At college the programme we are following is very structured and organised. The timetable is made in such a way that there is always somethings to do or to move on with. This helps to stay focused and busy during the time at college thus helping me be a successful student.

I receive support regularly from my employer. This includes feedback which can be really useful in terms of motivation to keep getting better. Being praised is an excellent way to get an apprentice to keep their standards of work high which is what the company and the college is looking for.

The support received from lecturers in the college is really important because you are seeing them everyday whereas with your training officer it is once a week or once a month. The feedback from the college helps you to gain the motivation to get the qualification that the company is looking for.

Because of my role being rather broad at the moment it is very useful that I am doing a course that is covering multiple roles i.e. mechanical, electrical and systems engineering. This will help me to choose my discipline which is what I will be doing in the business.

Through the business I was able to take part in Outward Bound. This was a 5 day retreat to loch eil where multiple different apprentices from BAE from different roles were put into different groups. In these groups we were to complete various activities that improved our team working skills and at the end we went on an excursion which was basically a camping trip.

Yes

BAE is a world renown company who promotes quality over profit. There are jobs and apprenticeships opportunities for near enough everyone. The quality produced by BAE is of an extremely high and professional standard. The business strives on excellence and is overall a great place to work. It is also a great way to meet new people.

Study the company, and what aspect you are wanting to get into i.e. aerospace or maritime. Ask family and friends about the company as they may know someone who already works for BAE because they may be able to assist with the application especially the interview where a presentation must be given on 1 of 5 topics.