Electrical and instrument engineer Review

I am an electrical and instrument engineer apprentice. This means that I perform maintenance on electrical and instrument equipment to keep them running without faults. This is a lot of working out on site fixing equipment that is already fitted and fixing equipment in the workshop ready to take back out to site.

I learned to make and break flanges properly which is the main task as an E & I engineer. Performing it in a way that keeps everyone safe and not damaging anything. I have developed my skills of problem solving further when coming across tasks where the normal procedure doesn’t work and you have to find out why.

I really enjoy my programme. Everyone I work with is very friendly and I get on well with them. They have been clear when mentoring me and teaching me new skills. I feel like I am learning a lot very quickly which is good because I enjoy learning new things.

I would say that my programme is very well organised. I work with someone that will mentor me every day to learn new things and get a hands on experience. I go to college once a week and the teachers are very clear with what they want doing in lessons, setting deadlines for our work.

We all have a monthly meeting with our manager. A one on one session where you can speak about any issues that come up at work and any support you need. They also brief you on any new changes in case you would like to voice your opinion to them. The managers are very friendly and supportive so it makes it really easy to talk to them.

We go to college once a week and our teacher sets us work. He tells you the deadline for the work then makes sure that everyone is on track to meet it. It takes his own time to help create booklets on things we can revise which will help us with our work and constantly provides help around the classroom when we are working.

My qualification is directly linked to my work on the electrical side, learning how to perform maintenance on equipment and how to fix any problems that come up. You learn new things about how the electrical systems work, explaining the reason behind things to help us get a better understanding of how to fix them.

There are plenty of opportunities for extra curricular. However due to covid-19 they still haven’t opened back up yet. There are football clubs, spelling bee events and an on site gym, just a few to name. There are also extra curricular that teams plan for themselves, for example we organise a 5 a side on Thursdays for the maintenance team.

Yes

They offer great opportunities to get education while working and earning like I am now. Furthermore, once you have finished your apprenticeship there are opportunities to progress beyond what you know, taking on new roles and even the opportunity to completely switch jobs and gain new training. They do really well at providing you with incentives, such as pension scheme, yearly bonuses and rewards for doing well.

Make sure you chose the role that is most suited to you as there are many different roles available within the company that you may not have looked at before. I would also recommend that you are willing to put the effort in when coming to work as the harder you work will get you a better position in the future. The managers here really recognise good work.