Mechatronic maintenance apprentice Review

I am currently a mechatronics maintenance apprentice completing year 2 of a level 3 advanced qualification. I attend college remotely once a week on a Wednesday and am based in the business on a site called PCF for the other four days a week. I work morning and afternoon shifts which should consist of helping with maintenance activities and shadowing maintenance engineers to help me advance in my apprenticeship. However I am currently office based due to covid.

I have developed some of my hand fitting skills, such as filling techniques, sawing accurately. In addition I have learned electrical skills such a wiring lights, plug sockets and connecting 3-phase circuits. I have also been advancing my theoretical knowledge through the study during college and the help from lecturers, this will help when I start working on maintenance as I will have a better understanding of the overall systems.

I have enjoyed the overall experience a lot, I have met some great people, teachers, instructors and many other colleagues and made some great friends along the way. Some of whom I will stay close with for a long time. I have a great relationship with my current manager and I get as much support as I could need. However I feel it will be more enjoyable once I get into the workshop since COVID-19 has put a stop to that.

The structure that was said to be implemented was very good and looked very promising at the start of the apprenticeship, however due to Covid-19 and other factors throughout the apprenticeship I don't feel it has been organised as well as it should have been. The apprenticeship is with a great company with a great reputation but I don'f feel it has lived up to the standard I expected.

I am very happy with the level of support I get from my employer. I have many people who I can contact such as my manager, my ADL (Apprentice Development Leader) and also a call service if you wish to talk anonymously or just to someone who you may feel more comfortable with.

I get a good amount of support from my training provider when working towards my qualification, although sometimes the college delivery isn't up to standard I can get any 1-1 support I may require if i am struggling. This makes up for the delivery standard and helps me to push for good qualifications.

It gives me the foundations of theoretical knowledge and practical practical skills in which I can build upon to perform better in my role as an apprentice. It has helped me to understand the basics of electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic systems as well as learning the different types of system equipment that will require maintenance.

There is a group called AGA which can be joined for a small fee of around £2 a month which gives you access and sends emails regarding social events, sporting activities and other clubs that can be joined. There is several updates for community events through the Rolls-Royce intranet on top of the AGA group.

Yes

I would recommend the apprenticeship to a friend due to the fact that although apprenticeship has its quirks like all places will do, they make up for this through the high levels of support they provide, the quality of practical delivery, and also due to the people that you are working with. Everyone has a great attitude and they all create a positive atmosphere and make you feel much more comfortable being an apprentice coming in to a new place of work. Overall it has been a great experience.

Some advice I would give is that you go into the application procedure with an open mind and being 100% yourself. Don't pretend to like something if you don't just because you think it is a good opportunity. If you enjoy gaining more practical experience and are eager to learn then this is for you! You'll get out as much as you put in, so give it your all!