Toolmaker Review

My role as an apprentice toolmaker is to learn and carry out work associated with press tooling. On a day to day basis I will carry out various activity’s which can be fun but challenging, the type of work can vary such as use of machinery (cutting, drilling and grinding), hand held techniques (filing,polishing, and grinding) and lastly visual inspection/testing of work related equipment.

This apprenticeship is very in depth and therefore upon going to work you are guaranteed to leave work knowing something you didn’t. Personally I have been able to learn a variety of skills: correct and master my hand techniques, learn the use of cnc and programmed equipment Operation and safe used of press equipment Operation and safe use of lifting equipment Following a process from start to finish to the right standard and quality requirements

I thoroughly enjoyed the apprenticeship it has been hard but rewarding the amount of information I have learnt which I can transfer into day to day working has been very effective, I think that if you are someone who is looking for a job where you can independently contribute to the success of a company and not knowing what task awaits you when you arrive to work, apply!

The apprenticeship is well balanced where at the start of the apprenticeship I was learning much more class work to ensure the fundamentals of engineering were covered. This is the layout structure for my apprenticeship : 1st year : college 5 days a week (NVQ level 2 and BTEC level 2) 2nd year: working 4 days a week within the business 1 day a week a college (BTEC level 3) 3rd and 4 year: 5 days a week within the business contributing towards (NVQ level 3) *within the third and fourth year there is the opportunity of additional courses and qualifications* 3rd year:

We receive support within the business should we need it, even if we don’t ask it comes up within regular meetings to ensure any issues or concerns are identified and controlled. There are a number of people within the business who you can see in relation to work problems

Swindon college do a very good job, the staff are able to go the extra mile to ensure that you understand by providing additional learning after class as well as altering the methods of teaching. Should the qualifications be difficult the apprenticeship team are able to notice this and put measures in place

The qualifications initially within the apprenticeship are quite broad and therefore help anyone from any sort of background to learn the basics before individual learning is carried out (relevant to trade apprenticeship) Further into the apprenticeship, the qualifications become more related to the environment and therefore helps to cover a range of work that might not occur often within the workplace.

There a extra activities if interested, the business carry’s out a “mountain challenge” event where teams from the company compete and win medals based on checkpoints met on a map. The location changes every year and helps in various ways by working as a team, planning and leading. From an apprenticeship aspect we are able to encourage others to join the programme by attending social events for intake of next year apprenticeship

Yes

The apprenticeship itself is second to none, it offers a very competitive wage in addition to learning!. The work environment is great to where people see it more as a family rather than a business. The business is one of the leading car manufacturers in the world which is definitely something to be proud about and continue its success

Ensure you know what you are applying for, this apprenticeship is aimed for people who has a genuine desire to become precision engineers and constantly improve there skills. The process of applying is quite in depth due to the amount of applicants, where tests and questions are carried out prior to interviews. Of course within any interview you will feel nerves, but it’s important you communicate your interest and why working at bmw means so much to you Thanks for reading, wish you the best and hopefully we will see you within the business