Craft Apprentice Review

As an apprentice we spend the first year in college completing 4 units as well as multiple practical tasks that we then assemble. Then in our second and third years we work inside the factory alongside the fitters learning how to do the jobs and once competent completing the jobs ourselves with the supervision of the fitters.

During my time in airbus I’ve learnt a lot of new skills. Firstly my communication skills improved as well as my teamwork. In college we complete units such as maths, aero science etc so my maths has improved a lot during the course. My hand skills have improved massively since being in the factory too.

I thoroughly enjoy the apprenticeship programme. We’re always learning something new and have tasks to complete which help to keep us focused. In the factory we work on different sections meaning we can complete a whole variety of jobs during our apprenticeship and can work on different aircrafts rather than just the one size

They programme is very well structured. The 3 years are all planned and laid out from the start of the apprenticeship. We’ve had a slight extension due to COVID but we were kept in the loop and knew what was happening once everything was confirmed. The NVQ we complete over years 2&3 is very well set out and the assessors are always happy to clarify.

If support is needed from Airbus all you have to do is text or call your Early career management and they will get back to you. Normally they get back to you within the hour and are more than happy to find out the answer to your questions if they are unsure.

We are taught every week lessons in the units were completing. We then complete weekly tasks to ensure we are understanding the work. Then we’ll get an assessment around once every 6 weeks and we submit it online. We will receive rework from the tutors if needed with explanation of which bit needs reworking.

The qualifications that we gain from the training provider have helped me a lot within my role at the factory. Before I worked in the factory we had certain units where we learned about the aircrafts and parts of it. This helped me identify them when working on them in the factory.

Near the end of the first year we attended a 4 day activity break called outward bound. We stayed at the Lake District and met up with other apprentices from Germany and France. We did all sorts of activities with a lot of them using teamwork which helped develop working together skills

Yes

I feel that the 3 year apprenticeship with Airbus has been very good. I feel I’ve learned a lot and feel very happy and confident going into the factory full time when I come out of my time. If I’m ever unsure about anything everyone is very happy to help which helps with my learning also.

The advice I would give someone who is applying to Airbus is to spend a little bit of time searching about Airbus and getting a rough understanding of what it is they do. I would also make sure you take an interest in what they do and produce a covering letter that is catered to the apprenticeship.