Apprentice technical engineer Review

The apprenticeship is a mix of college and practical patch experience. On patch I shadow one of the service and repair engineers in my area and do the work they are tasked with with their supervision and guidance. In the college we do a mix of practical tasks and classroom learning. Tasks cover gas appliances, plumbing and some electrics.

I have learned a wide range of skills. I've learned a lot about gas safety as that is my primary skill in this job but gas engineering involves a range of other trades including electrics, plumbing, building skills including joinery, plastering and brickwork. I've also learned how to properly use a variety of tools and power tools, and a wide range of health and safety considerations. Most of my skills will carry over into other parts of my life.

I enjoy it very much. I am learning a lot of skills that are both very fun and will help me a lot in the future, both in my career path and in what I would like to be and do in my personal life. It's very exciting becoming someone who is capable and able to become more independent in my personal life.

It was difficult with the covid crisis as we had to work online for 5 months. This was far more disruptive than I even expected as it meant we were expected to pile a ton of information into our heads with no practical learning to back it up and solidify our understanding. I like the structure despite this.

I receive a fair amount of support from my employer when I ask but in general I feel apprentices get bit forgotten about, especially with all the commotion that's been going on in the company lately. However, I really appreciate the trust and independence I get from my manager. My mentors are exceedingly helpful.

It's not always clear what's going on with this side of things and I don't feel we've been well informed at all stages about what's been going on. I fee the admin teams don't communicate with each other very well, however I am fairly happy with everything.

My qualification will be very important as it's essential to be gas safe registered to even work in this job. British Gas seems to be providing a very thorough and high quality training that will be priceless in any future job that I do. They are very thorough with our learning.

No there are not. There used to be a duke of edinburgh award but they decided to cut it out and to be honest I am very happy about it. I find the apprenticeship already takes a huge amount of time in trying to balance the college and patch activities both in and outside work hours.

Yes

What i have learned and will learn in this course has been incredibly useful. The training we get is unparalleled and I really appreciate the large range of skills that we cover in the academy and on patch. I really enjoy the people I work with as well, the best thing about this company is the engineers who have taken time to teach me everything they know.

I would say go for it if this is what you really want to do, but be prepared to work hard. You could do the minimum and scrape past in this trade but the opportunities offered in this apprenticeship are ideal for those who want to put the time in and work hard.