Aeronautical Engineering Degree Apprentice Review

In my role, I change departments every 6 months on average meaning that my day-to-day job role changes. Currently I am working on the design for a new platform, mechanically biased. My current job involves conceptual design work, looking at platform requirements, etc. Furthermore, I am completing a level 4 NVQ alongside my day-to-day job.

By moving departments, it is a good way of developing new skills as well as gaining experience and practicing previously learnt skills. The degree apprenticeship offered by Leonardo allows for a wide range of skills and understanding to be obtained. I have learnt many skills including CAD (Catia), understanding and writing official documents of varying types, etc.

As with any job there are good and bad points. In general I have been able to find positives from every department, however there are places I have enjoyed working more than others due to work I undertook there. This scheme involves a lot of work which at times becomes difficult to keep up with however, there are many benefits which outweigh those difficult times.

There is a clear structure to the degree apprenticeship at Leonardo. Having said that, due to moving departments and being able to choose which departments you move into, there are option to work in areas which are of interest to you. The structure in terms of education and working is well defined but leads to high workload at times.

This varies depending on the department you work in and who you are working with. Outside of the department, each apprentice has a training manager and a mentor (a senior employee with experience). This provides a good range of people to turn to if you require anything. In general, managers and mentors are helpful and approachable.

In terms of NVQ, this is predominantly lead by an individuals NVQ assessor. Everything else (HNC, HNC, Degree) is controlled internally by a training manager. Training managers however are your main POC if you have any issues with qualifications you are working towards. How much support you get is down to how much you seek and require.

Elements of the NVQ help to draw attention to certain aspects that may not have been recognised prior to completing those qualifications. However, NVQ in my opinion contains a tedious amount of unnecessary detail and information. In terms of the degree, many parallels can be drawn between the content and working day-to-day. A major positive of this scheme is having theoretical learning backed up by real work working.

Outside of day-to-day work there are many events that you get the opportunity to support if you wish. These vary from charitable events to more corporate, higher level, business events. I find these to be good experience and allow for opportunities to get involved in different types of activities. An example of an event I supported was when Leonardo hosted a CBI conference event.

Yes

Leonardo offers many befits, especially through the degree scheme. By paying for tuition fees, and paying a wage, financially this pathway makes sense. Furthermore, it offers benefits in terms of understanding and real work applications whilst studying for the degree. Also, so long as you complete your yearly targets, there is a job waiting at the end of the scheme taking away stress of leaving a scheme and not being able to find a suitable job for your skill set developed.

There are many applicants each year meaning that you need to make the most of the opportunity and set yourself apart early. Relevant work experience prior to completing the application is useful. Consider engineering companies. Prepare well prior to an interview and make sure you have basic understanding of what the company does and are familiar with a couple of their products.