Engineering Technician Apprentice Review

I am a final year Engineering Technician apprentice. Our week is divided into 3 day release at Uni and 2 days working on placement. Our typical Uni day involves attending lectures and using spare time to work on assignments for our BEng Hons Mechanical Engineering Design. During the Work days, we cycle around departments every three months. Each department we work in directly relates to our final placement, which we start working in in our final year. My final department is Geometric Integration where I perform measurement analyses on current series and prototype parts to determine the cause of quality issues. This is then reported either to suppliers or to production for resolution.

Aside from all the content taught to us through the degree, I learned practical skills for my job role such as aligning physical bodies in space to CAD models for probing and 3D scanning, and manipulating the CAD models to understand geometric data. I have also further developed my project management and communication skills.

I love the placement work. The teams I have worked with have been very supportive, and as many of my colleagues also came through an apprenticeship route, they understand what I am going through and can offer useful advice. It is also very satisfying seeing a project through from prototyping to production. This aspect of the job exceeded my expectations. However, as we do our final degree year full-time, while also trying to learn our final job role, the work load becomes very intense and stressful making what could be an enjoyable experience less so.

This year, the company has managed to maintain a good level of organisation despite the on-going Covid 19 lock down. We have a regular team meeting every three weeks to discuss any general issues and receive company information as well as one to one meetings every three months, either with our manager or with the liaison from the academic provider to discuss personal issues. There is always someone available to contact between times. The only negative experience with organisation/structure has come directly from the University, not the company, and when these issues were raised, the company and academic provider liaison were quick to attempt to resolve these issues.

In terms of support received, my experience is split. On the one hand, when there is a personal issue on-going outside of work, they will offer advice and support in a suitably discreet manor. Furthermore, when there has been general academic issues and we needed support from the sponsors of our education, they have fought for us for fair treatment from the university, especially where impacts from the Covid 19 lockdown were concerned. On the other hand, as someone with a specific learning difficulty (SPLD), I feel its impact on meeting the requirements of the apprenticeship and the responsibility of my employers to accommodate my needs as an SPLD apprentice have not been fully recognised. However, having only experienced an apprenticeship at BMW and nowhere else, I cannot say whether this issue is unique to the company or a common problem with UK apprenticeships.

As with my employers, Birmingham Metropolitan College have offered excellent support when there has been general academic issues, especially where impacts from the Covid 19 lockdown were concerned. But again, when asked for support for dealing with my specific learning difficulty (SPLD) when meeting the requirements of the apprenticeship, responsibility was passed on to those who could not provide the help I needed. As for Oxford Brookes (degree provider), support from some individuals was excellent, but any support from the university as a whole was often given begrudgingly.

I feel that some of the content of the course has helped in my grasp of my job role, such as improved ability for CAD manipulation, some mechanical theory and an improved ability for project management. There were, however, some areas where either the content seemed a little irrelivent or we had learnt more about the content in the workplace previously than was covered in the course.

There have been opportunities to get involved in extracurricular activities, such as the Cowley Road Carnival, where we built a float for the parade, or BMWs Mountain Challenge, an orienteering competition. However, due to the increased workload brought on by being in the final year, time to take part in such activities has been limited.

Yes

Apprenticeships are hard work, regardless of which company you do it for. However, BMW pays well and the support they offer in dealing with the academic providers is excellent. Furthermore, provided all academic requirements are met, a job is guaranteed at the end, as has been proven by the Covid 19 situation, where no apprentices have been made redundant.

I would recommend that they be prepared to work hard, and be ready to take on self-responsibility. Take time to enjoy the first few years and really get stuck in to the placement rotations. They help you to figure out the jobs you like and the jobs you don't. But most importantly, they help you build up a network of contacts that will help your future career.