Mechanical Maintenance Apprentice Review

Repeating training tasks in a very controlled environment with equipment and tools that are broken through overuse. When performing tasks there is little to no responsibly. The training is takes from 18 moths to two years and is separate to the real job. There is limited to no progression on the day to day tasks

In my time as an apprentice I have not learnt any new skills. What I have learnt is just confirming the skills I already have. The majority of the apprentices that are recruited are school leavers who have little to no skill or work ethic and we are all treated equally like children which impedes learning and development due to differences in skill.

The apprenticeship is sold with high hopes which are swiftly extinguished. I enjoy the people I work with but it becomes increasingly demoralising when doing tasks repeatedly with no learning or progression involved. Consistency is an issue as one behaviour is acceptable one day and the next it is not, but this will entirely depend on the mood of the instructor and who it was, generating a culture of inconsistency and confusion.

From starting the apprenticeship, the recruitment stage is very well structured giving the perception of a very organised programme. When actually in the work place the plan, given is not adhered to with constant changes. Items of work which are said to be mandatory get forgotten about and less important items are said to be more beneficial. Working hard and getting ahead of the given schedule provides no benefit and is perceived as an annoyance.

We have monthly meanings, but they are frequently missed and forgotten about. These meetings are said to be a fair discussion but are often heavily one sided. When an instructor is needed, they can be hard to find and often the instructions received will be different each time which can be confusing.

The training provider and my workplace have little to no communication, which often makes it very difficult for us. The work load is large from the qualification which we have to balance out with work hours. The training provider is very unprofessional and unstructured often resulting in large amounts of confusion.

The qualification that I am doing seems to have extremely little to no use in helping me perform better in my role. The content learnt about is very hard to link back to the real wold as it is entirely theoretical, and my role is purely practical. Most other employers offer a level 4 qualification for my job role but, my employer does not.

As an apprentices we are kept separate from the rest of the business with little to no interaction until two years in. There is a group called to the 3A's which we can join however, to my knowledge it is not very popular but this has not been helped by covid-19

No

You can get a better qualification for my job role in nearly every other apprenticeship. In addition to this the pay is below average for the role and the area it is located in. The company has not acted fairly in many situations, for example offering the job with a level 4 qualification then removing this option nine months in.

It is good for young people with no job experience, but for more mature and experienced people it will feel as if your back in school. The pay is not enough to support yourself with rent and living costs. The pace is extremely slow inside and outside of the apprenticeship scheme.