Designer Review

The role of a designer includes creating 2d and 3d models and drawings for BAE Systems submarines. This means using computer software's to be able to do this, as well as using print out drawings once complete. There are multiple different areas that designers specify in such as electrical.

My first year of the apprenticeship was at furness college where i learnt lots of new skills including maths, materials, health and safety and projects. These were then shown throughout my work in the workplace as maths and knowledge on materials etc is very useful day to day at work.

I enjoyed coming in as an apprentice as it gave me the chance to learn everything from the very beginning and learn as i went along. I enjoyed it up until we had to complete an 'EPA' and only got told about it months before completion rather than years. This caused a lot of stress as it was hard to get answers from the company who was providing the end point assessment therefore but a downer on the apprenticeship for me.

Towards the end of the programme, not very organized at all. We were given the EPA months before completion rather than starting years before therefore there was some miscommunication somewhere along the line that this was forgotten about. This caused alot of rushing to complete on time, resulting in not even completing the exams on time for my completion date. I would say it was structured up until this point.

I would say we always recieved support from the team and the employer regarding any issues we had. They did support alot during the EPA as they were trying to get answers and were as frustrated as we were. It was frustrating throughout the EPA as sometimes information was lost and misunderstood causing confusion but overall they were helpful.

During my ND and HNC the college were helpful in giving any support that was needed. There were a few times where they could have given more support rather than just revision sheets, and sometimes expected us to know things we had never learnt. But overall, they were mostly helpful.

The apprenticeship definitely helped with how i perfrom in my day to day job as a designer beacuse i have been able to learn all new skills from scratch and learn from different people as i go along. It gave me the chance to move round different teams and see different aspects of the boat.

I joined in with the STEM Ambassador scheme which allowed me to get involved with events at different schools and meet younger pupils and tell them about my job. It was good to improve m communication skills and engage with different people with similar interests to me. It was a good experience

Yes

It is a great business to be a part of, especially in Barrow In Furness as it is a company that gives the town some pride. It is amazing to be able to be involved in building submarines and just engineering in general. Especially women in engineering needs to become more of a known thing!

I would recommend coming in with an open mind as there is so many different opportunities and there may be something for you that you wouldnt have thought about. It is important to be proud of the work you are doing and show commitment to the work as it is an important business.