Technical Engineering Apprentice Review

Over the past 2 years I have undertaken a large number of ~2 month placements in a range of departments from across the business. Now, as I approach my final year I am preparing to enter my final placement, which based in my department will be focused on the role I will expect to fulfill once finishing my apprenticeship. This of course involves off-the-job training at college, but also learning the systems, processes, and responsibilities of my department, and the roles within it.

I came into my role with very little knowledge of what it takes to build a car, and the amount of work that goes into every detail. I have learnt and developed a number of skills in my journey since then; problem solving, efficient communication, data analysis and collection, and some of the theory behind metrology. I have also applied skills I previously had in different ways, exploring new depths and furthering my understanding behind them.

As with all learning and development programs, it has it's upsides and its downsides. Thankfully, for me, the ups heavily outnumber the downs. A lot of this comes down to the people I work with - other apprentices at the same stage as me in their development and my immediate co-workers. The work itself, whilst sometimes tedious in nature, is generally engaging and interesting. The company culture is generally very positive, whilst there are always some bad eggs, on the whole the management teams, and the structures surrounding them are supportive and effective in creating a sound working environment.

Whilst in previous years the structure and organisation of the apprenticeship has been somewhat lacking, as I move into my final year things have moved in a positive direction, and the road ahead seems clear. There are still some communication issues between the company and our education providers, however the impact of these is less than in previous years. However, my personal structure arranged between me and my manager has been fantastic. On my first day on-site he already had 2 years worth of planning completed for me, and this has paid dividends in my ability to see and experience so much of the business.

Employer support has been good, but not perfect. I personally believe that most of the negative aspects as can be attributed to a lack of good communication between our training provider and our employer. The vast majority of the time though the support has been fantastic, HR and my manager have been helpful, informative and easily accessible. They have been happy to provide all of the guidance and support I have needed.

Chichester College have not always been the best at supporting us. Communication from the course managers has often left a lot to be desired. This was worst towards the end of our first year, but has since improved somewhat. In terms of learning support though that cannot be faulted, our lecturers individually are all very good at what they do, and very good at passing on that knowledge to us. Our apprentice coach's however has so far been of little use. Whilst you would hope to have one that can follow you though your apprenticeship, learn your strength and weaknesses, and identify the best way to develop your personal skills and talents to help create a well-rounded experience, this has not been the case. We have now had somewhere approaching 10 different apprentice coaches in a little under 3 years. Up until now, every pastoral review I have had has been with a completely new apprentice coach, who I have met once only to never speak to again. We do now have a new apprentice coach, who hopefully will be our last.

Due to the size and nature of my specific business, it would be impossible to be on a program that was entirely relevant to my everyday role. For this reason we are on a more general engineering qualification, that whilst not entirely relevant to everything we do, does provide a good foundation for further learning in the workplace, and hopefully imparts on us the skills we need to develop any gaps in learning, although this remains to be tested.

There are a number of out-of-work opportunities, from the in house charity to department specific social events. I have had the opportunity to represent Rolls-Royce and the wider BMW Group at an Apprentice Event in the House of Lords. I have also been involved in a project designing and manufacturing a body for a local primary school's Go-Kart.

Yes

A good working environment, enjoyable and rewarding work with good working benefits. The BMW Group provides plenty of opportunity for advancement, providing you show the right initiative. Overall though it is what you make of it, and you have to put in the time and effort to see the rewards.

When applying for an apprenticeship you're not expected to know everything about your potential job role, you're not expected to ace every test you're given, and you are not expected to have mastered interviews. They're looking for people who are smart, committed, and who have the potential and drive to grow, and if you can show that you'll do well.