Higher Level Apprentice Review

One day of the week is spent in college completing the required qualifications and learning relevant knowledge for the industry. The other four days is spent on-site working within different placements completing regular work tasks and gaining an insight into the day-to-day working of the company. Currently I'm gaining experience in different areas to see which I would prefer to potentially end up working in.

I've learnt plenty of new skills as I began the apprenticeship with little relevant knowledge in the industry. I have gained academic knowledge through my training provider and the required qualifications, whilst also gaining hands on experience and skills. The hands on skills help to understand the work which is required of other employees, even though I am no longer required to complete that type of work.

There is a high work load, once you include normal work, college and apprenticeship tasks and this at times can be quite stressful. However, all employees are nice and easy to get on with and there is plenty of support which helps to make the whole experience enjoyable and its always interesting to learn new things.

One downfall of my apprenticeship would be the lack of organisation and structure, although there were changes made during my apprenticeship which couldn't be helped. Often there is little communication and organisation isn't great as it generally feels like those in charge aren't entirely clear on what's happening.

There is plenty of support from my employer and I have many different people I am aware I can contact should I require help and support. I have often not gone for help when I should have and as the company and apprentice intake is so large I think it is easy to disappear and go unnoticed.

The support from my training provider isn't great. I have had to teach the vast majority of topics to myself in order to pass the courses and gain qualifications. We complained several times about our issues as a cohort and never receive feedback or see any improvements. Our employer has tried to support where they can although this is difficult.

Whilst the general topics of my qualifications seem relevant, I often feel there is no relation to my actual work. I have rarely used any of the knowledge gained within my work and I have defiantly completed units on topics I will never require. Particularly because within our industry and company you require specific training courses to do certain work so you have to repeat this training in a different format anyway.

There are a few professional networks however I am not a part of these as I only hear bad things about them. There is also a social club which many seem to be a part of and utilise. It's often not clear how to get involved in events etc. you need to find the right people.

Yes

The pay is really good and gaining qualifications paid for by your employer is also great. I would feel happier recommending knowing I could provide a lot of the insight I missed out on and I could explain the apprenticeship better. Although I would say it is quite stressful and you can sometimes feel quite lost.

I think my best advice would be to not be afraid to ask questions or ask for help as this is the bet way to find out all sorts of knowledge, even if its just about how together a locker etc. I would also recommend trying to talk with apprentices in the years above to gain a small insight into the future although be aware they might have done something different from you.