Engineering Apprentice Review

My role as an engineering apprentice at Gatwick airport is incredibly varied. This is because we get to move between the different engineering departments onsite every few months. This gives me a great insight into how each section operates to keep Gatwick running form an engineering stand point. My role is to work with the technicians onsite and learn as much as I can to gain the necessary skills required to be a qualified engineering technician.

I have learned a really wide range of skills along with developing existing ones. The course I have been on along side working is aimed at providing you with both mechanical, electrical and electronics skills. Each with a combination of theory and hands on real world applications which I get to apply when at work.

I love working a Gatwick simply as it provides a really great range of working environments. You can be working out on the airfield among the buzz of the planes fixing electrical and electronics systems, then a few months later be on the other side of the airport working underneath the shuttle fixing mechanical faults.

The four years give you a good amount of time to develop as an engineer as you spend the first year purely at college. This allows you to work on key knowledge like mathematics and hands skills. Then the second year you come on site 4 days a week with a day release to college to complete your level-3 BTEC course. Then in the third and fourth year you focus on completing your NVQ level 3. I had option of undertaking a HNC course as well during these years which i am currently finishing.

Every month or so we will have a catch up with our apprentice manager to see how our work is going and making sure we are doing okay. I have no real issues during my time here but if I did its really easy to talk to our manager or even the people we are working with on our shift.

For the last 4 years I have a good experience with east surrey college as they have provided all of the courses i have completed/ completing. They give you a great range of resources to work from and all the lecturers will spend extra time with you if you needed.

By expanding my technical knowledge in mechanical, electrical and electronics areas i have been able to work on more equipment and systems at Gatwick. Just by being able to understand what processes are going on and what systems are in place it allows me to work more efficiently on site.

Typically every year we were given the option to go on an Outward Bound course provided and paid for by Gatwick. This was a great way to get to know the other apprentices working here and also further expand our skills. Was a really great time and looked forward to every year however due to the Covid-19 pandemic it wasn't able to run this year which was a shame!

Yes

Anyone who wants to get into a skilled professional career I would highly recommend apprenticeships at Gatwick. They have given me all the skills and qualifications I need to become a full rounded engineer, able to work on a wide range of systems and equipment. There is a great range of departments to work in and will always be something that will be interesting to you here.

Have a good look into what different aspects of engineering go into keeping an airport running. As the more knowledge of what you know goes on behind the scenes here the better you'll be come an interview and also you'll know if it is for you or not!