Defence Manufacturing Machinist Apprentice Review

In my first year of my apprenticeship, I complete my level 2 manufacturing engineering qualification at Weston College everyday. As I begin phase 2 of my apprenticeship, I will be attending college on a day release from work and will be gaining vital industry experience through different placements in the Bristol Defence facility.

Coming into my apprenticeship I had an understanding of machining as I had completed a qualification in this before starting with Rolls-Royce. I have thoroughly improved my knowledge of CNC machining through the help of my college lecturers and colleagues on site who are always willing to go the extra mile to help me improve.

I thoroughly enjoy my programme and I am looking forward to getting involved more in the industry side of my apprenticeship. I look forward to coming into work everyday and I am looked after excellently by my development leaders and others around me.

The programme is structured excellently. Through different placement plans and my time at college, I am able to broaden my knowledge on my future career at a high standard.

It is made abundantly clear to myself and all of my colleagues that support and care will be provided whenever it is required. My ADL (Apprentice Development Leader) responds to My queries quickly and always provides a coherent resolution to the situation

Through weekly meetings and progress checks, we are able to track our progress and set targets to achieve in the future. The company lies at the heart of this process and always has myself and my colleagues best interests at heart. If you are struggling, a plan will be put in place in order to get you back on track and to ensure that you get the most you possibly can out of your apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce.

All of the work that our training provider gives us is highly relevant to what we will be doing on a daily basis when we are on site. I feel that the individualised lessons that we are given is an excellent way of improving our skills and pushing us to complete work to an exceptional standard. Our lecturers have experience in the industry and can give us an insight into what we can expect when our apprenticeship is complete.

At Rolls-Royce, the Apprentice Association (AA) set up weekly events outside of working hours for employees to relieve stress and get to know each other on a more personal level. This ranges from Bowling to meals at high end restaurants. This is also an excellent opportunity to build up a network of people that can help you when you finish your time as an apprentice. You are able to gain valuable knowledge that will improve the way you work.

Yes

The level of care that you receive as a Rolls-Royce employee can not be matched in my opinion. Going to work everyday with experienced experts in their field and looking forward to it in a daily basis is hard to find anywhere else. I can safely say that I have made friends for life on my apprenticeship scheme and speak with them outside of work also. The level of training provided as well is second to none and pushes you to achieve your best everyday.

If I was to give advice to anyone applying for Rolls-Royce, I would suggest applying for work experience in your desired roll. This is an excellent way of gaining an insight as to what the organisation is all about and what different job roles entail. I would also advise being as enthusiastic as possible and to show a desire to learn and achieve as Rolls-Royce is a network of individuals working as a team that want to achieve the best standard of work possible.