Apprentice Review

I get involved with wide range of engineering projects within the department I have a placement with. One day a week I have lectures at college towards my degree.

I have taken advantage of numerous training opportunities including aircraft fitting, CATIA V5 training, product data management training, MATLAB, Autodesk Inventor and many other tools. I have massively developed my communication skills and improved my understanding of engineering in the workplace.

Considering the circumstances I am really enjoying what this program has to offer. I have had a great experience on the placements I've been on so far and I am greatly looking forward to what the future has to offer.

There is a clear structure from the beginning for progression through the apprenticeship. Occasionally information is unclear, however, people are approachable and explanations are never far away.

There is excellent support at BAE Systems. Every employee has access to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the apprenticeship skills coaches are excellent in this regard as they are always interested in your wellbeing and willing to help with issues

Support is readily available from the college. Occasionally it is difficult to get good guidance with technical subject specific issues.

There have been several situations where I have applied knowledge from college to my placement and vice versa. I find that I have been quite lucky with regards to this and it has allowed me to perform better at college and within my role in my placement.

Definitely yes. I have been to several networking events with the apprenticeship which have allowed me to gain some placement opportunities for the future. There are also social clubs to get involved with.

Yes

The apprenticeship allows each person to take advantage of the opportunities that come their way. This has been good preparation as it has provided me with skills and knowledge that has been both useful and relevant to my areas of interest. There is an element of freedom and responsibility given to apprentices which is very important for personal development. On the other hand where support is needed, it is always available.

Do not be afraid of asking questions when you do not understand anything. People will always do their best to answer them.