Maintenance Review

I am a first year maintenance apprentice, I am currently in college full-time, this consists of learning the basics of engineering which is done 4 days a week. On the other day of the week, I am learning working through the level 3 part of the course. Next year I am in BMW 4 days a week working in placements, I can then continue to work through the level 3 on day release to college.

During my time in college I have gained a lot of new skills and had the facilities to develop my existing skills. I have gained practical skills such as, electrical installation, electronics, plc's, milling, turning, welding, including learning how to maintain these skills after the job has been complete. I also have developed communication skills due to being pushed by my colleagues and my training providers.

During my time in this apprenticeship so far, I have thoroughly enjoyed the programme, it has helped me and given me the opportunity to develop my skills in the type of industry which I have a high interest in. I am looking forward to the next three years of my apprenticeship.

I feel as if my apprenticeship is organised extremely well, I, as an apprentice, have all of the facilities available to me whenever I need them to develop my skills. The communication between my employer and training provider allows for changes which benefit both parties and makes the programme even better. This year was different in terms of what we were physically allowed to do, the first week was our induction week and we got to know the other apprentices. Once lockdown restrictions were eased, we were taken to Cowley to meet the apprentices there and have our skern lodge day, the main focus of this was team-building and gaining a wider network throughout the company.

I receive a reasonable amount of support from my employer, I have meetings every thursday mornings, this is where we discuss how the week has been going on, we can also raise any issues in these and they can be dealt with. In these meetings we can gain useful information about what is going on within the business which keeps us involved in the company even though we are at college. Throughout lockdown these meetings were held over teams, this was different, however I felt they were extremely useful.

My training provider this year is Swindon college, they give me the support necessary to gain the knowledge i need. I am always aware of deadlines for work which need to be met and the standard of work i should be producing. Again, this year has been different when in lockdown, it was remote learning, all lessons were done over Teams and then when lockdown restrictions eased we were doing full practical to get back on track.

I am currently in my first year in the apprenticeship, this means full time at college and the skills I am developing there are the ones I will transfer over to the workplace. I have units on the maintenance of electrical, mechanical and electronic systems, these will all be extremely useful in my role in BMW.

BMW provides many activities for their apprentices to compete in. Before our first week we were meant to go to Devon to take part in a Skern lodge event for a week with the other apprentices from all plants. Later in this year, we will be able to take part in a mountain challenge, this is where teams of six compete against each other from all plants and have challenges to do and to reach the top of the mountain.

Yes

I would definitely recommend this apprenticeship to a friend, it has helped me develop personal skills such as communication and self-confidence. There are many people within the business that have come through the apprenticeship scheme, this will allow you to gain the support you need if you ever feel like you are struggling, however with the support provided this is unlikely.

If you apply for this apprenticeship, you should be aware of the application process, there are many people who apply for this apprenticeship, the process of recruiting the right people for the company can be lengthy and you should know what is needed of you. Ensure that you have attached all of the correct documents needed for this apprenticeship, this ensures the process is as efficient as possible. You should also have a basic understanding of the role and basic engineering as well as math.