Technical electrical aerospace engineer Review

I am in college 4 days a week at the moment. Currently I am studying for a level 3 qualification in aerospace and aviation engineering. I am focusing on some electrical topics held within that as that is my specialist area. I am also completing a level 2 competency qualification involving completeing practical metalwork, electronics, composites, and CAD.

I have learnt new skills with regards to the practical element, as before starting the apprenticeship I had never done metalwork or used any air tools. I had never worked with composites before and have learned a great deal more about their production and design. I had never done any electronics, and have learnt how to solder and loom wires correctly. I have now also gained CAD skills which I did not have previously.

Although I do enjoy the programme, the workload can seem overbearing at times with both theroretical and practical work having deadlines. This can cause feelings of stress and anxiety which can make the course unenjoyable. I have very much enjoyed the metalwork aspect, and the majority of the theoretical work has been relevant to the job and what I wish to study and work towards.

The programme I'm on seems very disorganised, possibly because they have not had technicians in the last few years. I have been placed into random classes with non-apprentices to cover certain modules. We have also had to wait over half a year for an electronics teacher, and are still waiting for one to be employed as we speak. There is also very little communication with our company and managers.

Despite being told about regular progress reviews, so far in almost 8 months I have had only 2 brief chats about how college and the course is going. We have not had much information regarding us going on site and doing placements, and there seems to be confusion about logging off the job training hours. Despite this, all quireis raised via email with my manager have been sorted out.

The college staff have all been extremely helpful going above and beyond to provide as much help and resources as they can to aid my success and learning development. They have always been willing to spend extra time explaning things, and have never denied out of work hours help and support. The issue with poor agency staff was remidied swiftly.

I belive that the information and knowledge I have recieved from my training provider has given me a wealth of knowledge about aircraft compared to my level of beginning knowledge and feel that this will really help me when i begin on site work. The qualifications will particularly help with any furture practical work. Despite this, it is not all directly linked to my role.

There are charity events carried out by AWASA which anyone is welcome to take part in, such as pub quizzes and football matches. There are also AWASA dinners and half marathon teams. Therefore there is a large amount of social and sports activities avilable through the company and its committees. However prior notice to events could be improved.

No

Although the training provider is excellent and valuable qualifications can be gained, there seems to be a lack of communication between the employer and training provider. On top of this with my course as a technician, there seems to be a lack of organisation, structure and understanding of my role within the company. My own manager does not understand what my role will be and thus placements etc. The college also seems to have some problems with regards to what modules etc I need to complete.

I would say to research more carefully and do either a craft or degree apprenticeship until the technician apprenticeships have been running longer and have become settled. I would also ask them to consider where they want to be at the end of it, to make sure that they are not entering into a career that they will not enjoy.