Aircraft Engineer Apprentice Review

Aircraft Operator carrying out both mechanical and Avionic tasks.

Yes, I have learnt many new skills whilst maintaining aircraft

The last 4 months were the most enjoyable, the entire time before was a struggle.

Whilst working at RAF Valley there was absolutely no structure, nobody knew who I was, there was no BAE Management to help me and I was stuck on a horrendous night shift and forgotten. This was the reason I moved to RAF Coningsby

Barely any, as mentioned previous there was no one to speak to regarding my issues and support, it has taken until the last month of my apprenticeship to have my NVQ work marked and assessed. There were multiple times where my cries for help were ignored.

Don't have any contact with City and Guilds, the Quality Assessment is done in the company after receiving approval.

The qualification is a great qual' to have in this industry, however I carry out the exact same tasks as someone with a lower qualification.

There are some STEM events that take place out of work, but I never got involved and they wasn't promoted very often

Yes

With the new structure (Lv3) I would recommend the apprenticeship, but with the apprenticeship that I had to carry out I would definitely not recommend, it was not worth the 2 years of misery at the Maintenance Academy to now carry out the same job as someone lower qualified.

Be prepared to be let down my people who look after you, false promises and stress, but enjoy the apprenticeship once you leave the Maintenance Academy.