trainee engineer Review

I install fibre optic cable through the underground network for Openreach including the metalwork that is required to house the terminals and joints to be connected. I’m responsible for following the planned route of said cables and managing the installation to company standards. I also have to prove the viability of the network by test rodding and roping.

I have come into the business with absolutely no background of communications so all my official training is new to me. I have retrieved some skills such as working in a team again which I have not had to use for some time. My training is still ongoing so after additional courses have been completed my skill set will have increased yet further.

I am very much a “hands on” learner so I am more confident learning by doing rather than the classroom based learning. That being said I am still enjoying the day to day duties my colleagues and I are challenged with. The world we are living in has meant adjustments have been necessary in all aspects of life, but the reduced sizes of classroom based training has helped to feel on pace with each course.

I am a little over halfway through my training at this moment in time so answering this before my apprenticeship is completed is a bit tricky. Personally I have no issues with how the programme is run, but the proof will come after my End Point Assessment. Like at any other time, we don’t know what we don’t know until we come up against it

My managers are very approachable and helpful. Across the board everyone that I have encountered has been happy to advise and recommend methods to achieve a solution to any potential issue I may have. Even if the opportunity to talk face to face isn’t there at times, in the event I need their support they are only a phone call away.

Classroom sizes have made the training room sessions almost the equivalent of one to one training so that has helped to ease any anxiety of not keeping pace with any given subject. Workshop sessions are more challenging they they would have been before COVID but my accessor is very good.

I’m not one hundred percent sure that the qualification I’m hoping to achieve helps me to perform my role better. The training gives you a starting point of how the job is to be done and out in the field you learn how the end result is achieved in the real world. In my opinion the two go hand in hand

As the country slowly comes to terms with a sense of “new normality” the long awaited and anticipated Christmas outing is becoming more and more realistic. Fortunately the team as a whole has kept each other’s spirits up throughout the numerous lockdowns whilst at work, but a chance to let our hair down as a group will be a relief.

Yes

I can only speak from my experience but I’ve found everyone that I’ve come into contact with is always on a positive step. The experienced members of the team all have time to help out with any questions or requests that may arise. The pay is great, the kit is quality and the job security is there.

My advice would be to be patient when applying to Openreach. The number of applicants that apply for each recruitment means a large paper sort for someone, but that in itself should tell you you’re making a good choice. Bide your time because each hurdle you clear in the process to being offered a role can feel lengthy but you will not be forgotten. The company spends a fortune on each apprentice just in the first five weeks, let alone over the course of the apprenticeship so you can understand why they want to get the right people in at the first time of asking. I’m 8 months in and never been happier going to work.