Commercial Undergraduate Apprentice Review

When you are an apprentice at Airbus, you have the opportunity to experience all aspects of the business, as you are placed in different departments every 3-4 months. On a day-to-day basis, there are a variety of tasks that you can get involved in, such as contacting and planning events with the local community and charities.

Only during my first few months within Airbus, I have noticed that my confidence has increased. I have further improved on my communication skills, particularly when interacting with new people, such as those from suppliers to charities. Also, I have enhanced my ability to adopt a particular mindset when it comes to problem solving, which has become very useful as I move around the business.

I am happy that I chose to do a degree apprenticeship after my A-levels, as university alone was not suited to me. I like putting the work I am learning about into practice. I enjoy my apprenticeship a lot and it was definitely the right choice for me.

The programme is structured is well. Commercial Undergraduate Apprentices attend Coleg Cambria one day per week, with the content provided by Swansea University. Any upcoming dates for events, such as training sessions and outward bound trips, are put in our calendars with plenty of notice.

Airbus offer a lot of support throughout the apprenticeship programme, showing that they understand that it is a big leap from attending college / sixth form to going into a job.

Coleg Cambria are very supportive when working towards our qualification. They offer every student a mentor, who we are advised to meet with at a minimum of twice per year. Our training provider understands that students may find it hard to balance work and home life, therefore Study Skills sessions are provided when we have lectures. These sessions teach us useful skills, such as note taking and actively listening. Also, all students receive detailed feedback after their work has been submitted, which helps the students develop throughout their apprenticeship.

When doing an Applied Business Management Degree, all apprentices have to apply their uni work to their employer. Therefore, doing the qualification has helped me widen my knowledge on Airbus operations. Regarding my role, it has helped me to perform better as I understand the reasoning behind business decisions more. Also, it has helped me understand how to deal with different types of people, through understanding that my colleagues all have different mindsets and ways of working.

Airbus has many extra-curricular activities which help the apprentices / interns feel comfortable and included when they start their role. For example, we have a scheme called "Gen-A", which a group of employees run, allowing for the connection with others and expand both your personal and professional network. Examples of events are Gen-A Football and Go-Karting.

Yes

Airbus allows you to grow and develop. It is an amazing opportunity to allow you to start training in a real work environment, whilst gaining experience and skills which will be highly beneficial later on in your career. Also, Airbus offer a good rate salary for an apprenticeship, so you can learn while you earn.

When applying to Airbus, the tips and advice I would give is be organised; this will help you balance your uni work and work in Airbus. Be mindful that you are doing a degree - do not leave it on the side. Also, take your finances into consideration and figure out how you are going to manage them. Lastly, it is important to familiarise yourself with the company you are starting to work for, such as finding out their goals and values.