Apprentice Designer Review

I am currently going through an Engineering Level 3 qualification which involves studying a variety of subjects through college on a 37 hour week basis. These subjects range from maths, further maths, mechanical and electrical principles, health and safety, business, engineering organisation principles etc. We will be transitioning into the business in July and I will be beginning my HNC studies

I have greatly developed my knowledge in mathematics, CAD and organisational behaviour. I have learnt a lot through mechanical principles with acting forces on structural beams, thermal dynamics, stress and strain. We have also supported each other as individuals with help in assignments and revision which I felt has been a good practice for team building.

I have enjoyed working with others and building relationships. I have thoroughly enjoyed developing my skills in CAD and technical drawing as well. These skills are the main skills needed for my role within the business so they are incredibly important to develop. We have struggled however with Covid restrictions and lockdowns and I feel that our learning has been effected. The organisation of the college has not been excellent but has seen us through to support us. We did have some issues, covid related I believe which did not support our learning earlier in the apprenticeship

From BAE's side of things it has been well structured and has responded quickly with Covid restrictions. It has been difficult for them to give us the usual experience however. From Furness College's perspective, it has been poorly executed, with the lack of suitable tutors for certain subjects where we were not taught the necessary information from earlier inn the apprenticeship. As we have progressed however, these issues seem to have been resolved.

More than plenty of support is available with many programmes and organisations that are available for BAE employees. If we had any issues we can speak to any of the organisations along with our line managers and skills coaches. With regards to college, it depends upon a tutor but all would be willing to seek support for us.

Earlier in the apprenticeship, some tutors were not suitable to deliver lessons or even provide a lesson. Some were also inconsistent during lockdown to provide online teams lessons, where they were not present or used another form of connectivity. Especially due to covid, I feel that we have suffered through our learning and we have not been provided (in some areas) necessary tuition. I personally have accomplished higher grades than I expected and have not suffered as much, but those that require help are able to get it.

I feel that by understanding a lot of the subjects we have been provided help us get a grasp of our position in the business, as well as providing the foundations to understand how we can perform our roles, by developing our skills and knowledge. As an apprentice designer, it is necessary for me to understand and perform to a standard using CAD, as well as having the ability to work with mechanical principles and further maths.

I believe that there are plenty of programmes, teams, events, extra curricular activities available, although I am not in the business yet so I do not know the extent of these. But from what we have been told, such as outward bound, sports teams, extra curricular activities of our choice, there should be plenty

Yes

It is a very good company to work for that has many opportunities available to extend and enhance your career. They pay for your learning and your qualifications and if you work hard with them, there are many rewards gained. Not to mention the support and programmes they provide if you have any issues or concerns with your own well being and learning. The pension scheme is also a very beneficial system.

I'm 26 so when I applied, instead of going for a higher apprenticeship I decided to start with the advanced level so that I could gain as much knowledge as possible and learn how the company works. I would definitely recommend learning about the business and revising for the aptitude tests. A lot of it is just luck getting in since they get a huge amount of applications, but learn as much as you can about the business, the role and if you get to the interview stage, really sell yourself and let them know you know about the business and the role.