Engineering Technician Apprentice Review

My role as an engineer apprentice is to shadow technicians on their day-to-day role. This will be based on one of many sections Gatwick have, which I will be on rotation of. I will spend roughly 3 months of each department, learning the assets they have and how to maintain them. My day-to-day is very hands on, full of problem solving, working with my hands and enjoying the company of the other technicians.

Studying Mechatronic engineering, paired with the wide range of departments at Gatwick, I have learnt an incredibly broad spectrum of engineering, from how to maintain large mechanical units to diagnosing faults of small electronic PCB boards. This knowledge has translated to my day-to-day life where I find myself becoming useful in repairing faults around the house or issues with my car. My knowledge on how things function and the dexterity of working with my hands has improved a great amount.

I honestly look forward to going to work, as cliche as that sounds. I find myself excited returning from my shift to discuss what I've been up to with my friends and family. Each day is full of laughter among colleagues, satisfying maintenance resolutions and curious learning. I've worked a few jobs through the years and I can undoubtedly say that Gatwick engineering has been the most enjoyable.

I feel the programme is very well organised. Upon joining the engineering team, I was made aware of what my next four years will look like. I knew that college will be my entire first year, followed by working at Gatwick for the next three with the addition of college on a Wednesday. With the assistance of the engineering apprentice manager, [This section of the comment has been removed by a member of the RateMyApprenticeship Team because it did not meet our site terms and conditions], I know which department I am supposed to be at, at what time, what shift etc. I never feel lost and always feel I have a large support network to ask if I feel like I need the support.

I receive a great amount of support from my employer. I have monthly meeting catch-ups, calls and emails to update me on my apprenticeship details or changes around the airport. Everyone I work with, are all very supportive and I feel I can confide in anyone if I had any issues or problems, both inside and out of work.

East Surrey College do a fairly good job in terms of support for my qualifications. I am notified about my course via a student email and they have a dedicated student services department that I can contact if I need any information. Gatwick are in close contact with the college and report to each other often on my progress.

The college aspect of my course suitably supplements what i'm learning on job. I can learn about the specific assets that Gatwick look after at work, then at college I can learn the math and science behind it all. Hands on subjects at college, such as welding or electrical installation really helped me prepare for using my hands for when I started working on site from my second year.

There are often multiple activities the technicians get up to in their spare time, and due to the close bond people make at work, they often find themselves doing those activities with their colleagues outside of work. Even as an apprentice I have been invited to fantasy football leagues, golfing days out and even weekly games of the table top role playing game dungeons and dragons with other technicians.

Yes

I would, and have recommended Gatwick to anyone. Firstly, the environment is like no other; there are people of all walks of life working and travelling through a hugely interesting operation. There hasn't been a single person I've disliked, everyone wants to see you succeed and do their most to support you in your learning and development. And lastly you'd really struggle to find another job/apprenticeship that has you working on such a vast array of deeply interesting assets. I truly feel blessed to be working here.

Don't worry about what you know, just let your passion for learning and engineering be the focal point. Being keen and eager to learn is key. Mostly, just be yourself. Gatwick is a place where diversity is celebrated and character is something that will help bond with colleagues. Your confidence and knowledge will come with time.