Product Support Degree Apprentice Review

I undertake rotational 3-6 month placements, with day release to college once a week. Every placement is different, but in my role I mainly look at bids, technical queries from customers, promoting our services and in some areas there is engineering design activities. There is such a variety of placements that you generally end up doing completely different activities, which is really good for variance and experience.

The first year of this role involves going to college to learn practical skills such as sheet metal, composites, CAD and electronics. Once working in placements, there is a lot to learn, including office skills and getting used to company procedures and processes. I would say my communication skills have come on a lot, as well as some engineering skills due to working full time in an engineering industry.

This programme is really great for anyone who wants to do a job, continue to gain qualifications and get paid. There is so much variance not only in work activities, but events and groups that you can join outside of work. There is a good community feel and you are well looked after. For these reasons, I am really enjoying my programme.

I joined this programme just before COVID hit, so the company had a lot to organize and structure. However, apprentices were prioritized just like every other employee, so I was able to work from home and still gain work experience. The programme is structured enough that you know the path you need to follow, but allows you to somewhat choose your placements and the areas that you fell suit you best.

My employer is very supportive and want me to succeed, not only at work but in my studies too. I have a direct port of call who I have one to one reviews with and who is there to support me in whatever I need. The college is also very supportive with studies.

The college are very supportive and are very responsive to feedback. During COVID, my group raised some issues we were having with the teaching mechanism and this was addressed as quickly as possible, and we were able to then continue with far better quality of teaching. The teachers are really approachable and are happy to support you as much as they can.

Although my role is not directly engineering based, there are some placements where it is essential that I know the fundamentals of aerospace engineering, for example in some design placements. In addition, due to the nature of the industry, there is a lot of technical language used that is addressed in the qualification, which makes my day-to-day role much easier.

There are lots of extra activities, especially now that COVID restrictions are easing. For example, there is a social and charity committee, opportunities to help with school events, manager vs trainee sports matches and events such as pub quiz nights. There are also lots of interesting projects that you are able to volunteer for, for example helping out and planning work experience events.

Yes

I would recommend Leonardo to a friend because not only is the apprenticeship scheme very beneficial, as you are able to gain work experience and a degree as well as earning, but the company is supportive, has good community spirit and provides many extra-curricular activities. Also, I feel there is opportunity to progress quickly during and post the apprenticeship.

I would say that this course is brilliant, but it is a lot of hard work as there is a lot of college work as well as NVQ work, on top of your normal placement work. However, this definitely pays off because you will develop really important skills and get to be involved in some really amazing projects, that you just wouldn't be exposed to in other industries.