Aerospace Engineer Review

I am being trained as an aerospace engineer in various facets of engineering, such as design, materials and aerodynamics, and learning through college/uni work as well as placements within the company.

Yes, I have a greater understanding of the process of design and more knowledge on engineering principles.

The programme is enjoyable and we have fun as a collective.

Well structured from the company- we have a spreadsheet laying out all of the targets we need to hit and criteria we need to meet to complete the course. The college was less well organised, trying to put us on a completely different programme at one point, but luckily Rolls stepped in and supported us.

A good level of support. Each group of apprentices has an apprentice development leader who schedules regular check ins to see to our wellbeing and is easily contact able if questions or concerns arise. We were also each given buddies in the second year who help us out.

A good level of support. The college we attend in first year is sub contracted by the university we will attend in the following years. The university has provided us with a representative who is able to help us if we have any concerns. The college supports us quite well with level 2 NVQ aspects.

In conjunction with placements within the business to contextualize the knowledge from my degree, I believe my qualification will help me perform better in my role. Although some of the modules we study for the level 2 NVQ are less relevant, others help us gain an understanding and appreciation of the craftsmanship of practical engineering.

As first years we haven't had a huge amount of time to take part, but if we wanted to there is an Apprentice Association which runs social events and sports teams.

Yes

We are well-supported by our ADL and there is a feeling that the company actually cares about you. You have lots of opportunities to progress professionally via training courses. At the college, we were able to mix with other aerospace companies and realised that the opportunities for professional development and support from Rolls Royce is not there with all companies.

It's known as one of the best companies in the world so it will be competitive to get a place. The technical interview is really hard for everyone but they are more looking for how you think and use logic than knowing the answers straight away. Also obviously make sure your CV is good- if you have any relevant engineering experience, put it down but if not, don't worry too much about it.