Manufacturing Engineer Review

Getting to know different experts both on the shop floor and in office areas. Work on building a network of contacts and people who can help you get to the end goal whatever that may be. I take a process and try to improve it or offer solutions to aid that. I Also learn the standard procedures and basic dos and donts, as well as how to put jobs through and get experience on projects

One of the key skills learnt besides knowledge at university would be communicating and judging situations. Such as where and how to get points across that are valuable, as well as how to ask for help and find opportunities. Building a network has also been a beneficial result of said skills enabling me to learn from the very best from all corners of the business. You never have a moment to do nothing and there is always something to learn.

I enjoy it very much as I am treated with respect and as a proper employee, I’ve also had the opportunity to see some amazing engineering processes and techniques along with incredible machines. I have also met some of the best people and fellow apprentices that have become some of my best friends and helped forge future contacts across the whole business. Overall it has been a very fulfilling experience so far and I hope for more.

The program is set out right from the start with what you will achieve on a year by year basis, where and with who. It makes it easy to get through and not worry about what’s coming next. The university are also in constant communication with the employers so ensure everything is running smoothly and days out of work and at uni are all confirmed long in advance. This simplifies a lot of things.

The employer is always around and have plenty points of contact such as HR, other apprentices and your personal apprentice development leader. This person ensures everything runs smoothly and also keeps assisting whenever a question or something arises that needs sorting. They also carry out reviews to make sure that the level of support and also the apprentice is putting in the work too, they’re often motivating and very helpful each and every aspect.

The university provides as much support as possible and are always available when needed by each and every student. Be it with additional lectures, revision sessions or one to ones via email and video. They also ensure there is plenty of supporting content available on the web portals and different sections for each course. This includes YouTube videos, text book excerpts and worked questions. The lecturers are easy to talk to and it runs well.

It gives the fundamental and important knowledge as well as helps you understand what is going on in the business, both operationally and in the engineering sense. I feel every module is relevant and helps Develop oneself mentally as well to enable more sensible thought surrounding the projects and experiences in the business. It also makes you feel more of a part of the industry as the modules and content really dive deep into the sector.

There’s two outward bound weeks where you and all the other apprentices in the year go and compete outdoor team building and character building exercises with randomly allocated groups. This helps build networks while also boosting confidence to solve many problems with plenty of people you aren’t usually with. Each site also has sports facilities and has charity football and other style events as well. Often a few apprentices will arrange nights out as well

Yes

There isn’t really a better place to be to start a career. Sure you will come across difficult situations and people but it’s how you come out of them and try to drive yourself through. The overall quality of service and learning opportunities provided are immense, and many of the people you meet are really great people who are as driven as you would be in this role. They also treat you as proper employees.

All you have to do Be yourself and respect yourself, be ready for a heavy workload but that’s what comes with this. Just relax, read up and make sure you know what you’re talking about as the engineering world can be unforgiving but be honest and have a laugh and soon you’ll be one of them. Don’t be afraid to speak up or ask questions as they want you to develope too