Engineering Apprentice Review

My role includes on the job training in different departments on the GSK Ware site. I work on 6 monthly rotations between departments and shadow engineering technicians, to learn how to fix and maintain machines and equipment. I also have block release college weeks to acquire my HNC then HND. I have a workbook to fill in as I learn on the job to document my training.

Before coming to GSK, I was very shy and quiet. As I start to move through the departments, I'm gradually getting more comfortable talking to the people on my shifts if I need help or have ideas, or just in conversation. I have almost completed the HNC part of the course. I've learnt to solve problems step by step, eliminating possibilities until I find the cause of the problem and can then try to solve it.

I enjoy the work. Nothing is excessively frustrating to fix and there is enough variety for it to not get tedious. The people are great and value a sense of humour, keeping spirits high and motivation up. College is fairly difficult and there is a lot of research. Block release means there is a lot of information given in a short space of time so it can be hard to separate and prioritise.

I get fairly regular catch up meetings with various people running the course, including my manager and shift engineer. We are encouraged to ask for help when we need it and people are willing to follow through and give assistance. There has been a bit of confusion as to who my manager is as people have been moving roles. We were meant to travel to the Gen2 site for at least some of the college weeks but due to COVID we haven't been able to, meaning we haven't been able to do any practical work for college.

I get a lot of support from various people in the company. I have catch ups with my manager as well as people running the apprenticeship programme at the company to ensure I am getting on ok. I can always send an email or ask for a meeting if I have any problems.

The tutors always try to be available for help, however some messages seem to get missed, meaning sometimes you have to ask a few times to get a reply outside of lesson time. During lessons, we can always stop and ask a question if we don't understand something. There is a lot of research and with COVID we haven't been able to get practical experience with, for example, instruments discussed in the lessons.

It helps us understand how the systems in the workplace work, for example pneumatic systems and instrumentation. Some things are irrelevant to my specific role but it would be hard to have each course tailored to a role as there would only be 1 or 2 people on the course. As it is, there are 13 people (not all apprentices) on the college course I am on so some parts (like design) that don't affect my current role are helpful for them and could be helpful to move on in the future (although I personally have no wish to move into a design role).

I have only been working at GSK since COVID, but I have heard that there used to be get togethers and social events quite often. For each year's apprentices there is usually a team building trip that hasn't yet gone ahead for my year, however it will be arranged when possible. Currently there are online meet ups, quizzes and things like that over Microsoft Teams.

Yes

The pay is good for each level and there are benefits and ways of investing your earnings. The people are nice and welcoming and want everyone to achieve their best to get the best products to the customers. You move around the company to learn different ways of working and find where you would like to end up at the end of the apprenticeship and they try to make that happen.

GSK is all about the customer at the end of the line and ensuring the best quality products for them. Don't rush your answers and take your time. You may feel under pressure to get the questions or task done, but it is better to take your time and have the correct result than to rush and get it wrong. If you rush and make a mistake in work, it could affect the customer at the end. For an engineering apprenticeship at GSK, keep an open mind and be prepared to do 12 hour shifts, weekends and night shifts. Some departments run through the night and at the weekend to make the most out of the time. 12 hours and weekends aren't as bad as you may think and nights take a while to adjust to for a lot of people.