Aerospace Engineering Degree Apprentice Review

My role as an Engineering Degree Apprentice varies depending on my placement. I am supporting either a Project team or a support function in order to gain as much experience as possible across Design, ME and Quality Functions. Recently I have been given the responsibility of running a site wide project deploying a digital tool to all the quality functions on site, this included training people and working with the development team in Toulouse to improve the tool in accordance with customer feedback. I have also spent some time with ME lineside operations helping to develop health and safety improvements from some processes on site, I also try to gain some experience with Responsive support functions such as running a metrology test to check some aspects of the product Once a week I go to University to work towards my degree.

I have massively improved my project management skills along with my organization and my ability to speak publicly. I know have the confidence to approach people within the business. As an engineer my skills have developed massively coming from almost no experience I can now confidently use some CAD software's to develop parts and use engineering drawings in a production environment.

There are some aspects of my programme that I enjoy such as working alongside other engineers and getting stuck into projects but there are other aspects that are less so enjoyable. For example the organization and management of the apprenticeship is not run smoothly and there are some aspect that could be improved. Overall the apprenticeship has been enjoyable and meeting people from all other the UK has been an amazing experience.

The organization of the programme could be improved as the clarity of the structure of the programme was not clear from the start. The placement structure has 9 months in one area, 6 in another and 3 in the final placement whereas 6 months in each area would make more sense. Communication is limited from the Early Careers Management Team, however when in placement the organization from the placement manager is much better.

The support available from my placement manager and colleagues is always extremely helpful. There are a lot of ex apprentices around Airbus who are more than willing to support you in anyway possible. If I ever have an issue I feel confident enough to approach somebody as I know I can find the support I need With regards to the actual apprenticeship the support is not quite as good but I know who I can speak to and my managers try to support me whenever possible

The support offered by the University is not as good as the actual placements themselves. Quite often if we request support or would like some feedback to improve we do not get the support we require. Obviously this is a degree so I don't expect to be spoon fed the information but more guidance is needed.

The degree is very much tailored to a working environment with a second year project management course and aerospace modules. The project has benefited me quite a lot in my stakeholder management and project planning. However it is not perfectly aligned to a work place, however this is understandable as it is a degree and has some features that must be included that maybe are not so important in a real working environment

The social side of the apprenticeship is really good, there is an organization called Gen-A who are responsible for social events, sporting events such as football tournaments as well as charity work and educational visits such as Manchester Airport. These events are very easy to access and are very welcoming and a great way to network.

Yes

It offers so many opportunities since it a real working environment and it is a great way to gain a degree as well as 3 years work experience networking across the whole of a manufacturing site. These experiences you can't get by just going to university and are extremely valuable for the future when looking for future roles

Make sure that you really research into the company as knowing who you are working for is just as important as what you know. Make sure you are 100% sure this is the route you would like to go down as it is very intense and if you are looking for a uni lifestyle this is not the place to go