Machinist Review

The role is a machinist. At the start of the day I begin by going to the machine, seeing what parts we are working on that day and then I will set up the machine for that job and I will load a part ready. Then throughout the day I will carry on machining along with the operator I am working with and complete any tool changes necessary, making sure each part is within tolerances and is up to standard.

Prior to starting the apprenticeship I only had minimal understanding of CNC machines and how they work, before I only knew how to operate manual machines. Within the first year I was able to expand my skills on manual machines as well as learning the basics of CNC machining. During the work on site and being able to work on CNC machines daily it has given me a really good understanding of how they work and how to operate them. Each day I am trying to learn more and more about these machines and trying to expand my knowledge each day.

I really enjoy the machinist programme, being able to learn about machines I haven't worked on before and how to run them is interesting. Working with different people as well is nice as when they see you're interested they will pass on as much knowledge as possible and they are easy to work with. It is also nice to help out the other apprentices if they are unsure and they will do the same back, makes a lot of good teamwork within the factory.

Within the first year the structure to the programme was good, the college lecturer had an understanding of the programme and therefore he knew everything we needed to do. The second college year wasn't as well structured as the first, but we had new lecturers and therefore they were trying to familiarise themselves with the programme too. At work we have had a structured placement plan which has allowed us to work on different machines and gain an understanding ready for our assessments.

We have received a fair amount of support from our managers. The factory manager has been really helpful and any concerns or support we have needed from them they have provided. The Apprentice Development Leaders (ADL's) have also been there for us. The only downside was because we didn't have an ADL on our site and then we changed ADL's so we didn't get as much support in regards to college and concerns we had from that. But we definitely get a lot more now.

We receive quite a lot of help and support from various people when working towards our qualifications, we have the factory manager which has created a placement plan for us to go on the machines to hit the criteria needed for our assessments. Our ADL'a have made sure we have all the support we need as well as resources etc. All managers are there if we have any problems or concerns and they are happy to help you out.

I feel that the stuff I have learned from college has been useful within the work place and has helped for my day to day role. The basic knowledge of the CNC machines has helped but so have a lot of other things, such as the stuff we have learned in the materials lessons. The maths has been beneficial and when its came to working out sizes etc within the factory I was able to put this into practice.

There is something called the Apprentice Association and I believe they try and organise activities for the members involved, this could be things such as paint balling etc. Another thing that a lot of people can do from different companies and different countries is the world skills competition, I believe this is where you design something, create a programme for it and compete against other people. There are things for apprentices to get involved with, and you can always ask older apprentices for more information.

Yes

Working for Rolls-Royce has given me the opportunity to develop my skills within engineering as well as being able to work for a well known company. I am learning new things everyday and I'm being given the opportunity to further all knowledge that I want to. I should finish the apprenticeship with qualifications as well as an in-depth knowledge of machining and manufacturing an also the experience of working for a world class company.

When applying for Rolls-Royce it is important that you are making yourself look as good as you possibly can. You should let them know of anything you have done or achieved that could be linked to engineering or the position that you have applied for. Show them how interested you are and that you aren't just applying for something to do. When it comes to the interviews, make sure you have properly prepared for them, if they ask you to talk about something you've done or made then take it in, show them and talk about it in depth. They want to have team players working for them, so if there is a group task, make sure you get involved and if you need to then help others out. But also make sure you are being yourself, they want to know who they are actually talking to and will want to get to know the real you.