Mechatronics Maintenance Technician Review

My current role within my apprenticeship is full time employed in the apprentice training school at Plant Oxford. This involves learning new skills that are required in the plant and developing current skills both on a practical and personal level. We spend about 5 weeks on each rotation learning skills such as welding and machining. I am also able to develop personal skills on our weekly health and safety walk.

I have both learnt new and developed existing skills during my time as an apprentice. I have developed existing practical skills such as hand fitting and have had the opportunity to learn new skills such as welding. I have been able to develop personal skills such as being able to present presentations to managers and develop my communication skills.

I am really enjoying my apprenticeship program as it not only allows me to develop new skills while in the training school, but prepares me for after the apprenticeship when we enter the business. I am able to experience some of the benefits of working at the plant and able to see what comes next.

The program is structure to a high standard, I am aware of where I am meant to be throughout the week and know where I am meant to be at all times. However, some aspects of this have been limited by the training provider (Birmingham Metropolitan College) as there training program has not necessarily been structured as well as the BMW side of the apprenticeship.

I receive a lot of support from the employer and they have an open door policy for anyone who may have a question or require extra support. The employer also uses previous years comments to improve the experience for the next year meaning a lot of the questions we may have had have already been answered.

I feel that the training provider could improve the support towards us and achieving our qualification. The tutors provided to us downstairs in the workshop are very supportive towards us and enable us to learn the required skills to a high standard. However the upstairs learning on a Monday does not appear as organized as the workshop. There was a delay in getting the correct tutors in for the BTEC teaching and the program does not align with our rotations downstairs as it has in apparently done in previous years.

The training from the tutors provided in the workshop really enables use to perform better in our roles and are very helpful in developing existing skills. Whilst also learning skills that help directly with the qualification its very helpful that they show us things that are useful to know for when we enter the business.

Due to COVID alot of extra-curricular activities have been cancelled. However, BMW have still focused on providing as many opportunities for us as possible and have told us about previous activities and plans for the near future. Whilst not being able to attend extra-curricular we have been given the opportunity to go on tours of the plant and there are plans to visit others.

Yes

I would recommend this apprenticeship to a friend as I have really enjoyed my experience so far and feel that apprenticeships like this are not advertised as much as they should be. There is a wide variety of careers that my apprenticeship will enable me to progress to and would happily recommend it.

I would encourage others applying to look at where it can take them after the apprenticeship and would say to be keen to get involved in any event that your can and find as much out about the company as you can, and to make full use of the opportunity