manufacturing engineer higher apprentice Review

On a day to day basis most of my time is spent within an office looking at stresses on materials and parts using software on computers. this is interesting however I occasionally leave the office and go out on site to see products being produced. this is value because it improves my overall knowledge of the product.

I have learnt lots of new skills when working in my new role. The main skill I think I have leant is doing FE (finite element) analysis. Before I started my apprenticeship I did not know how to conduct a FE analysis however I now feel that I could manage this with little guidance.

I thoroughly enjoy my program and feel like I have made a good chose when leaving college and choosing this program instead of university. one reason that I like this program is that I feel it gets me prepared and used to working life in the future whereas university does not do this.

My program is mostly organised and structured very well meaning all sessions, meetings or training goes as planned and to schedule. However, due to the large scale of the company that my program is with the organisation can sometimes be slightly lost. This results in me needing to find jobs to do and asking people if I can help them with what they are doing. The problem usually gets resolved after I have done this.

I feel that I receive a lot of support from my employer who ensure that everything is going well and I am happy at work. one way I am being supported is having progress reviews every 12 weeks so I can see how I am doing and also raise any problems I have to my manager.

I receive lots of support from my training provider when attending college to ensure I achieve the best grades I can and also to be prepared for my role. one way that my training provider does this is by providing me with a large range of resources to build my knowledge and prepare me for exams.

I feel that my qualification by college prepares me for my role because at college I study a large range of modules. I think this large range is very important as it means I am not just limited to knowledge around one subject. the questions in college are also based around engineering problems as much as possible.

I have not discovered any extra curricular activities in the team that I am working for, however when speaking to peers they have told me that within their team they arrange to meet up and do activities out of work. one example of this would be the team playing tennis at the local tennis club after work.

Yes

I would recommend BAE Systems to a friend because of the huge amount of support that is offered to all employees. I also feel that the company prepares you for some of the challenges that could be faced in working life. The salary at BAE systems is also very competitive.

one tip that I would give others applying to BAE Systems would be to do lots of research about the company prior to your application and interview. A large amount of knowledge is integral and shows the employer that you are truly interested in the work done by the company and you are not just wanting a good salary.