Engineering Technician Review

As a first year apprentice I spend 1 day a week learning maths and electronic principles, then 4 days a week in the workshop. There are lots of new practical skills to learn such as welding, hand fitting and machining. There are assignments to complete for the theory work as well as logbooks for the practical activities.

I have learnt lots of new practical skills since starting the apprenticeship. I have found that the theory work that we do is mostly a repeat of work that I have previously done at school but was still useful to learn again. Often, the maths and physics that we learn in our theory lessons are applied in our practical work which makes the learning much more interesting.

I have really enjoyed the programme so far. There is a lot of working in teams as well as individually which is very enjoyable. You learn something new everyday and there is a lot of support if you need it. The hours seemed quite long at first but you get used to them.

There is a clear structure for each week, Monday doing BTEC work and the rest of week doing practical. There has been quite a lot of teachers coming and leaving since being here which has meant that the teaching has been disrupted and we haven't been able to learn as much as we could have. The first year is just based in the training school so you don't get to see much of what happens out in the plant and what you will be doing in years 2-4.

There is a lot of support available if you have any problems. We have quarterly meetings with our manager to see how we're getting on and if we have any problems. We also have a meeting every few months with all of the apprentices and the head of the training school where we can discuss any issues and make suggestions for improvements. At the start of the apprenticeship we were provided with laptops that we can take home and do work on.

Our training provider is BMet and we also have quarterly meetings with them to discuss our progress and any problems. The tutors all want to help you to learn and succeed. You can always email them if you have any issues and they will always reply and help. They will give you extra help if you are struggling with a certain topic or assignment.

The qualification that I receive in this first year will have hopefully taught me all of the practical and theory skills that I need to start my placements and degree next year. We put some of the theory work that we learn into practice in the workshop. We get taught practical skills such as welding that we've been told we won't have to use again after our first year but are still valuable to know how to do.

There is the on-site gym which is used by many apprentices for a subsidised price. There are not many other extra-curricular activities that we have been made aware of apart from the Mountain Challenge and various charity events. It would be good to see more of these organised as it would be good to get involved with your colleagues outside of the workplace.

Yes

BMW is a good employer with a large apprenticeship program. There are lots of opportunities for you to develop your skills and great benefits such as the car scheme, gym and pension plan. The level 6 apprenticeship allows you to work towards a degree whilst getting experience of working in an engineering environment which would not get from going to University.

Try to have some work experience or attend one of the programmes BMW offer such as Girls Go Technical so that you have an insight into what it would be like to work here at Plant Oxford. Make sure you research the role you are applying for, show that you are keen to learn and ask lots of questions in your interview.