Quality Technician Apprentice Review

There are multiple placements in different departments, so the roles vary significantly based on which placement you are working in. I am currently working in change control, which involves preparing changes when supplied parts are changed. I then run line trials with new parts to make sure that they will not cause a problem when a change is implemented.

In addition to working, I am studying a foundation degree in manufacturing engineering. The aim is to spend time in the final year of my apprenticeship building on this qualification to work towards a bachelors degree. At work I have learnt how to carry out changes and am becoming more confident in doing them.

The apprenticeship is enjoyable as there are opportunities to work in various placements around the plant. You get to meet new people from different departments and work on different jobs/projects throughout the apprenticeship. The university/college time gives a good change from the work and has a good variety of units.

The first year of the apprenticeship is purely based at college to build practical engineering skills, such as using lathes and mills. Over the next three years, you work towards the degree one day a week and spend the rest of the week at work on various placements around the plant. Overall there is a clear structure to the apprenticeship.

There is an apprentice manager, who gives lots of support to all apprentices and is there to help you. You also receive support from the placement managers and members of the departments you are working in. If there are ever any issues, people are always willing to help you out.

There are usually group lessons with the college/university to learn the modules needed for the course. You can contact the lecturers even if you aren't in college on the day that you need help. For work-based projects in the later years of the course, lecturers spend time going through the work that you are doing and how to improve it.

The qualification that I am studying towards is manufacturing engineering. This links into the role of change controllers as there are a lot of units based on Operations (Logistics) and quality systems. Understanding how business operations work and different quality techniques has helped with changing parts in production as it gives me a stronger idea of how the business works.

There are company events that you are able to enter, such as engineering conferences / events, to build more knowledge on the engineering industry. Apprentices also occasionally arrange social events together outside of work, but due to the coronavirus situation it has been difficult to have any events over the past year.

Yes

The apprenticeship is good experience working for a well recognized engineering company. You can study towards a degree with no worry of student debt. By the end of the apprenticeship, you will have 4 years work experience in addition to a university degree, all while earning a salary. This puts you in a good position for a final job role after the apprenticeship.

When applying, make sure to provide them with all the correct documents and show that you are interested in the apprenticeship. The assessment day comprises of a few challenges to test teamwork, mathematical and hands on skills in addition to an interview. There are lots of experiences throughout the apprenticeship and if engineering is a role the you would like to do, then I highly recommend BMW.