Power Engineer Review

I am attending university full time so my day to day involves attending lectures and labs as well as completing work in my own time. This allows me to be prepared for my exams at the end of each semester. I have to get the train every day to university which usually takes 2 hours from leaving my front door to arriving in Newcastle, which can be longer when trains are delayed and cancelled!

I have learnt how to deal with situations that are beyond my control, for example trains being late. I get very stressed when I am late so learning to deal with cancelations and lateness of trains has improved drastically. This included my train being terminated the morning of one of my exams which left me in a state of panic however I managed to remain calm and rang all the relevant people to let them know there was a possibility of me being late, however I managed to make it just in time.

I prefer when I am actually at work and in the office so that everyone can see that I am an apprentice and I d work there as being at university full time no ones sees me until the holidays and people don't know who I am. So far I haven't done any actual work whilst being at work but can already see I will enjoy that so I'm excited for the summer working there. As for the university aspect I make this as positive experience as possible.

There is a lack of communication from the university to the apprentices and also the company which has caused issues along the way. When we first started there was issues with timetables and not having them which wasn't good as the rest of the students had theirs. I know this is the first year so teething problems can be expected however there has been quite a few

Siemens as a company cant do anything more to help especially my line manager and apprentice manager. They go above and beyond to ensure we are doing ok and that we have everything that we need in order to complete this programme. There is no pressure from anyone and no expectations so this makes me feel at ease as they just want me to do my best.

Outside lectures there is very little support - we have a personal tutor however he doesn't turn up. University is very much self learning and even though we are apprentices this is very much the case with having to do everything of your own back. little to no support is given when working towards my qualifications - some lectures don't even have past papers to revise from.

Not entirely sure I can answer this as I have only completed 6 months out of the 5 year degree program. Although attending university has allowed me to meet new people on a day to day basis which will help me when I am full time for filling my job role

Again, don't think I can answer this as I haven't been in the work place for more than 2 weeks as I have been attending university full time and I am only 6 months into my apprenticeship, I am sure these will be available once I am in the office more regularly .

Yes

From the moment I applied for the job to getting an interview to receiving the job the day after my interview, Siemens stayed in touch with me. They communicated frequently and made sure I knew what was going on and even organised a day where all apprentices could meet up. I didn't have this experience with any other company which is one of the main reasons I took this job.

Just be yourself - siemens aren't bothered if you have the best grades there are more interested in the person you are and whether you would fit in the business. Extra activities you have taken part in are good as they show your willingness to learn which is what they want. They are like a family and once your in your in for a very long time.