Mechanical Degree Apprentice Review

I am a Mechanical Degree Apprentice located within the Engineering department. As a degree apprentice, my day to day role includes full time placement work where I gain hands on experience in an office based environment, day release to college to complete a HNC, HND and BEng top-up course and completing a level 4 NVQ qualification. There are also opportunities to get involved with extra curricular activities and committees.

Over the past 2 years with the company I have completed a practical level 2 NVQ qualification in practical engineering skills, as well as completing CAD training courses and other internal training courses with the company. The apprenticeship has also allowed me to develop my professional and personal skills, such as communicating with others effectively in the business and managing my workload independently.

I enjoy my programme greatly - the departments across the business allow you to work on meaningful and interesting work which is engaging and fun, and the employees across the business are friendly and helpful. There are plenty of opportunities to work on large projects and get involved with committees and STEM outreach activities, and the company culture is positive and warm.

The programme is very well structured - you undergo an induction and orientation process when you join the company, and you begin your training straight away. As an engineering apprentice, I attended college full-time for the first year of my scheme to complete my practical skills course and NVQ alongside my academic qualifications, and once I joined the company on site I began completing 3 and 6-monthly placements with different departments across the company.

The training department offers extensive support when you need it and, depending on which scheme you join, you are assigned either a mentor, assessor or/and 'buddy' (an apprentice or trainee who has already been at the company) who can provide support and assistance during your scheme. As a degree apprentice, I have a mentor and NVQ assessor. The company also has an occupational health department on site which can provide medical support if required.

The college which provides the academic courses for my apprentice scheme is very supportive. As lectures have progressed recently to online lectures and calls (due to Covid 19), I've found the college have adapted well and continue to offer good support to students. I have found my tutors are supportive and approachable and the college offers good support services, although I haven't required the use of these services yet.

The content which is delivered in my HNC course is well tailored towards the industry I work in, and I have come across multiple pieces of work in placements which have required the theoretical understanding and content which I've learnt at college. My academic course has given me a greater understanding of the theory behind the work I've been doing in placements and allows me to perform better in my job role.

Yes - trainees are offered a wide range of extra curricular opportunities to get involved in. There are multiple STEM events which apprentices can get involved with, such as The Flying Start Challenge and Cool Aeronautics, as well as career open evenings, and there are also opportunities to join and get involved with trainee committees which set up and run social and charity events for all trainees at the company.

Yes

The projects and programmes which you get to work on are interesting and engaging and the employees and training department are very supportive and friendly. It's also a great opportunity to gain important academic qualifications, alongside extra qualifications such as NVQs and practical skills qualifications, as well as getting paid a competitive salary and having the opportunity to do extra curricular committees and activities!

When applying, make sure you include as many extra-curricular activities and as much volunteering as possible on your CV, and at interview show them a few examples of projects/volunteering initiatives you've worked on or been a part of - it really helps! Also, either before joining the company or when you're an apprentice, make sure you take every opportunity which is offered to you!