Manufacturing Engineer Review

We attend college 5 days a week during our first year of the apprenticeship. Four days consists of a Level 2 AME Course and one of the days is for the Foundation Degree. The Foundation Degree day is a long hard day, but the other four days are much easier.

I have learnt lots of skills within industry relating to manufacturing within my first year. Things such as Health and Safety, Pneumatics, Electronics, and more. We have also learnt hand fitting skills, Lathes, Milling machines, PLCs and Welding. All the lecturers are knowledgeable and keen to help improve your understanding.

I enjoy the apprenticeship a lot. Everything we learn seems to be for a reason, improving our skills and understanding of the manufacturing industry ready for our future careers. There is a good group of apprentices where we all get on, including a few other apprentices from different companies.

We are full time at BMet in our first year, so have very little to do with BMW. We do however receive weekly visits from our apprentice manager, which is a lot more than any other company at the college. The Lecturers have our best interests in mind and are keen to work with us on any problems we may have. The college itself sometimes lacks in organization, leading to confusion where we are supposed to be that day.

We receive weekly visits from our apprentice manager, where we can ask any questions or voice any concerns. He also makes an effort to keep us involved in the business by telling us how the factory is performing and getting us invited to factory events for employees. We also have access to contact details within the company where we can receive any additional support.

Support varies between lecturers, but the majority are keen to provide extra support, giving up time in their lunch break and allocating lesson time to improve our understanding. We complete monthly reviews to track our progress, which gets forwarded to our employer. I feel that the colleges support network and counselling services are directed more at the full time students, but that isn't an issue as we have access to our companies, should we ever need it.

All of our lecturers make an effort to transfer what we are learning into a real world situation. We don't get the opportunity to apply this knowledge at work, as we are full time at college, but I am sure we will have plenty of opportunities over the next few years. It is easy to see how our knowledge will transfer, as everything is taught with manufacturing in mind.

There haven't been any opportunities to join any clubs or teams, since the start of our apprenticeship. However, I believe that a lot of this is due to Covid restrictions as teams and social activities were advertised before applying to this role. We have taken it upon ourselves to organize lunchtime football at a local park where BMW apprentices and any others can have a kick around.

Yes

BMW are a great employer, with lots of benefits included. They make sure to keep us involved at every opportunity and support us throughout our learning. The other apprentices are really friendly and we share lots of similar interests.

When applying, its best to spend lots of time on your application letter, making sure that it says what it needs to say without any unnecessary extras. I made sure that I included all relevant work experience and had an up to date CV. The interview process was very thorough, starting with online time sensitive exercises, followed by two interviews with a team of staff members, where we had to carry out a presentation and perform a practical work exercise. It was very stressful, but was worth it in the end. Make sure you are prepared to the best of your ability with any notes you may need.