CLE Engineering Degree Apprentice Review

As an apprentice I have had the opportunity to learn practical engineering skills within Rolls-Royce workshops whilst studying towards a degree in mechanical engineering with electronics. In later years of the apprenticeship I have been moving through 4-month long placements in differing areas of the business under the larger areas of Systems Design, Development and Experimental, and Engineering for Services. Whilst on placements I have been able to use the skills and knowledge from university to solve real-world engineering problems, design and manufacture experimental components and simulate engine testing through bespoke Rolls-Royce software.

Yes - throughout the apprenticeship there are many opportunities to engage in training and skills development both through training courses within Rolls-Royce and those provided by the university. Essential skills such as manual handling are taught in Rolls-Royce by a training provider alongside others. Presentation skills, specific software training, report writing skills and a multitude of others are on offer and can be easily applied for within Rolls-Royce. I have developed a number of skills and furthered my knowledge with coding through Rolls-Royce's digital learning platform and had opportunities to make use of externally provided training courses such as DataCamp provided through Rolls-Royce funding.

The initial year of the apprenticeship was a little slower than i anticipated and having no real interaction with the business was frustrating at time - the first year is spent almost exclusively at the Learning and Development Centre at Rolls-Royce and, whilst valuable experience and knowledge was gained here, it was when out on placement around the business that I really began to enjoy the work. The range of available work within the different teams gives a very good taste of what a long term career in Rolls-Royce would look like and provides a very good opportunity to network and decide an alignment for the final eyar of the apprenticeship.

The structure of the apprenticeship can be a little too rigid within Rolls-Royce where a pre-determined path is outlined from the start. Spending an entire year in the learning and development centre prior to moving onto placements seemed to be too long and could have been cut short by several months. The placement structure is more fluid and an apprentice has some power in terms of determining where they are placed depending on the types of work they would like exposure to.

The support provided by Rolls-Royce has surpassed my expectations for such a large company, the apprentice development leaders and extremely supportive and offer good guidance as do the NVQ assessors and coaches. In the wider business wen out on placements it seems to be company-wide that support is well defined and available at a moments notice and frequently I find myself having quick welfare catch ups with my line manager checking my workload isn't too high or not stretching enough.

The NVQ assessors and coaches are, in my opinion, a credit to Rolls-Royce. My assessor in particular is a good source of encouragement, pushes me to complete additional work and helps me identify and plan to rectify any gaps in my outstanding requirements. The university provision can be lacking in terms of support and often it is necessary to contact a Rolls-Royce point of contact to nudge the university into action in some regards. Lecturers and Academics can be more difficult to reach and often do not appreciate the workload me must balance between our studies and work commitments but fortunately Rolls-Royce step in where required - it would be nice if this were not needed however.

It can be difficult to link some modules of the degree back to the work we do within Rolls-Royce and what we will hopefully be doing once we are qualified, some modules can seem a little too basic whilst others can be incredibly specific such that their relevance, other than to very specific areas of the business, is somewhat lacking. The NVQ qualifications have good relevance to the work we complete and will be working towards during our apprenticeship and after and the mix of evidence based learning and knowledge questions helps to reinforce learning and identify gaps.

There are many social clubs, sports clubs and group activities in and around Rolls-Royce alongside networking events. There is a company rugby team, football team, netball team and many others. Within specific teams there is a good social element and the majority of the teams i have been exposed to have a healthy balance of work and play. Golf can be a big part of certain teams which is something I've been able to get involved with and this has helped me ease into teams more naturally and gain valuable networks.

Yes

The opportunities afforded to me through Rolls-Royce and the apprenticeship as a whole will affect my future career in many ways. I will have achieved a fully accredited degree in Mechanical Engineering with Electronics, a Level 2 and Level 4 NVQ and a picked up a multitude of relevant skills that will all help to boost my CV and help propel my career. The huge benefit of work experience whilst achieving the education was a huge plus to me when making this career move and I feel it give a slight edge over a university degree on its own. With that said i wouldn't hesitate to recommend Rolls-Royce for an apprenticeship or career given the levels of support i have received and seen and the enjoyment of the majority of my colleagues with the workplace and work they do

With any new career move or an initial decision to join an apprenticeship scheme - do your research, understand what the company does and what it provides, think about where it could be heading, where you feel it should concentrate its efforts and where you see yourself in that picture in the future. Above all ensure you ask good questions - an interview is a two way process and it is as much about the company wanting you as it is you wanting to be with Rolls-Royce. Try to eliminate other options through your research and be sure about Rolls-Royce as a choice, they have a lot to offer but other companies may be a better fit.