Business Degree Apprentice Review

The business degree apprenticeship at MINI consists of a combination of in-class learning at Abingdon and Witney College where you study towards your Level 6 degree in Business Management, and working on site at the MINI Plant in Oxford. The split of studying to work, is one day a week at college to 4 days a week at work. When at college you study for 3 different modules per semester and complete assignments corresponding to these modules outside of the class. At work, you complete placements in different departments.

I have learnt a lot of new skills through the apprenticeship with The BMW Group. Most evidently I think are the communication and confidence skills which you develop from meeting a range of new people and experiencing new things. You also get a chance to work with lots of different systems and platforms at work which allows development of the skills relevant to these, for example, the use of excel.

The programme is very enjoyable and gives you a great opportunity to learn not only in the classroom but also at work, surrounded by people with a lot of experience and knowledge. There is a very good culture of learning within the BMW Group and in my experience so far, everyone has been very helpful with aiding my learning. Not only do you get to learn but the apprenticeship is also very fun! So far I have had loads of great opportunities to work hands on with the finished MINI products, and for me, this has even included driving them!

Due to coronavirus there have been some adaptations made regarding the introduction and learning parts of the apprenticeship, however this is expected and has not had a huge impact on the apprenticeship overall. There is still good structure in place regarding knowing when you are at work or when you are at college. There is also good structure regarding the opportunity to complete rotational placements throughout the Plant, which means you get to see and experience many different business areas.

The employers at BMW right through from the apprentice manager to the placement managers that you have in each department are very helpful and supportive with work. We have regular meetings with apprentice managers who check in on progress and wellbeing which is good. I have also particularly found that within my placements, when I have placement relevant assignment work to complete, employees have been very supportive in providing information for this.

Abingdon and Witney College give well structured lessons. At the start of each semester you are given a module handbook which outlines what is coming up in the module, any relevant reading and the assignment briefs. There is also a calendar outline of the year structure so you can prepare for what is coming. The teachers are happy to help and have been accessible via teams whilst coronavirus means learning from home is necessary.

A lot of the work we do at MINI can be applied into the learning at Abingdon and Witney ( and vice versa). It is good to be able to complete assignments which you can base on your role at work as it gives you an opportunity to solidify your understanding of your role whilst learning.

The BMW Group offers two key teams for the apprentices to get involved in. These are the UK apprentice newsletter teams which spans across all UK sites, and also the charity team which I think is split between Oxford and Swindon. There has also been project involvement which requires networking also. These are all great ways to network with other apprentices, however other than this I am not aware of any other networking opportunities regarding social activities or sports teams. This may be due to coronavirus.

Yes

BMW Group is a great company to work for. Everyone is very friendly, supportive and enthusiastic, and there is a great working culture at the MINI Plant, but I am sure this applies throughout. There are a lot of different opportunities and things to get involved in such as the Newsletter or Charity team as well which is a very nice aspect to the apprentice role.

BMW Group is full of enthusiastic people so I would recommend to really show this enthusiasm and passion to learn and work when applying. Everyone is really friendly so I would also recommend to not get too stressed if you make it through to the interview stage, and to just enjoy the application process!