Technical Apprentice Review

Day to day my job role involves a wide array of activities that vary from day to day, some days can be Quality inspection of parts and Measurement to Spreadsheets and CAD work and other days I can be machining upgrades for our checking fixtures and issue containment solutions, as well as this part of my day to day may revolve around what department I am on placement with such as Metrology or Maintenance environments

During my time on this appprenticeship I have learnt and developed a vast amount of new skills, chiefly amoung these would be my skills in the field of leather quality planning & inspection , machining, time management and best working practises, these skills ( some of which I had a basic knowledge of before ) help me in my day to day work and in the outside world, these are skills that i'm so glad I have learnt as I will be able to rely on them for the rest of my life.

The work aspect of this apprenticeship for myself has come on leaps and bounds from previous years, in the past its been very difficult to find enjoyment with coming into work mostly stemming from the neglect of my original department, with little to no guidance I felt very lost and if it wasnt for the vigilance of my current manager seeing this poor environment I feel I would have left, the work that I currently doing is very enjoyable and I feel that I am not just making a differance within the company but that my time here will have a lasting imprint on the Automotive industry as a whole.

The organisation of my apprenticeship has been hap hazard at best, often not knowing what direction we are going in and being left in the dark about important things we should have been aware of but recently with the reimagined look at the programe itself has removed a lot of the communication issues previously experiance and the all round stucture and orgainsiation as improved vastly, to the point now were I don't feel i have any more issues with how it was before,

The wider employer offer a range of support but i have found a wealth of help support and guidance from my direct manager, I previously felt alienated and not on my managers radar amoung his plethora of more important tasks but since changing department I feel very well supported in all aspects of my apprenticeship as well as this I feel that I'm equipt with the knowledge that if i was ever to require any help and guidance that i would have no uncertanties as to where I would go first.

Support from the train provider varies dependant on whom the support if required from, i have no doubts about the course leader and student tutor as they have been highly supportive in almost every way imaginable, its a select few of the individual subjects lecturers in which I find a lack of support often they are often unable to forfil, thankfully their slack is picked up by the other lectures and course leader who has personally helped me whenever ive needed it, going above and beyond in anyway required.

I feel that my qualification has very very little to do with my evential job role but is the closest that could be provided by almost any college in the country, short of creating their own training accdemy the company are between a rock and a hard place, having said that the skills im learning in the college have defiinitly helped in my day to day job role and the skills I am being taught are very much what interests me.

At work there are a plethora of extra curricular activities avalible at work such as,social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events. but unfortunatly my own social life means I don't have time to sample a lot of these things, I have attended specific events held within my department and have had a lot of fun joining in with them and are definitly going to be in my diary whenever they arise

Yes

I would recommend BMW Group to a friend as they have a programe for almost all abilities and they are not put off by age, the training they provide is un-rivialed by most other companies and i dont think the could even come close to compeating, the mix of on and off the job training makes it a very desirable way to learn and to earn your employment, for this reason i would recomend them.

when applying to BMW Group / Rolls Royce / Mini its important to make yourself stand out, the people viewing the applicants and interviewing people see the same people over and over, make yourself stand out and shine outwardly via your skills talants and abilities, show them not just your qualifications but yourself, your character and your willingness to learn as part of a team, making your self stand out is never a bad thing and may pay off in the long run.