Control engineer apprentice Review

Day to day work involves training down in the workshop on basic engineering skills and techniques as well as a day of theory within the classroom. As a first year all the work is based within the training school, no work is done outside of this on the plant itself

I have developed some of my existing engineering skills as well as developing new ones throughout the course. I have learnt more skills through the theory side than the engineering as it is taught at a less basic level. Many of the skills taught down in the workshops are only taught at a very basic level and not much detail is gone into

I find that the theory work is far more enjoyable than the practical as the theory is taught at a much higher level and requires more thought and effort to be put in. In contrast the practical work is taught at a much lower level and feels very spoon fed at times. It is quite easy to end up ahead with the work and although the tutors do sometimes give further tasks to do, it is often a case of having to wait for others to catch up before moving on

There seems to be issues with the overall organisation of the training by the training provider. Some practical rotations support topics taught in the theory lessons. For example one of the theory topics are PLCs and is taught early in the second term but the practical rotation on PLCs is not until the final term. Having these two taught at the same time or even having the more basic practical rotation before the theory would aid learning and understanding of the topic. The main theory tutor is very good but it feels like he does not have much support, only recently has there been a second theory tutor employed. The new tutor is not as organised as the other and sometimes the lessons are hard to follow. There have been several delays to practical training due to staffing issues which seem to stem from poor management and insufficient staff to teach

The employer themselves offer a great deal of support, the managers are friendly and approachable, they will help out with any issues that may arise. Regular progress and pay reviews are carried out which give a good idea of progress within the apprenticeship. Staff from other areas of the business are always helpful

The support from the training provider is not as good as what is provided by the employer. Progress reviews are carried out with the head of training but any problems raised do not seem to be addressed and things do not change. The tutors themselves are always helpful and will do as much as they can to aid with any issues that may arise.

As a first year I do not work out in the business yet so I cannot say for certain. However I feel that the skills will benefit me once I am in the workplace. The course is designed to complement the work in the plant and feedback from other students in other years say that it sets you up well

There are some extra curricular activities outside of work, there is are social activities arranged by some apprentices. There are also opportunities within the company itself such as the mini race team. As the majority of the apprentices are a similar age there is a great deal of shared interests amongst them

No

As I have only been with the company for 7 months or so I do not believe I have a wide enough view of the job itself to recommend it. I have not worked out on the plant yet and I have only really seen the training building. Very little has been said about what the job itself actually entails. I do not know what the day to day life of a controls engineer is like on the plant and as such cannot make a informed decision on the job. The training provided has not been of a satisfactory enough level to recommend based on that alone.

I would recommend finding out as much as possible about the job and the training before making any decisions. I would also recommend only starting if you are local enough to commute to work as the wage makes it very difficult to afford rent somewhere nearby. Having an interest in engineering is definitely key for the role