Maintenance Technician Review

The role is to maintain and fix robots and systems, but currently I am in college full time to learn the skills and knowledge so that I am fully qualified to work in the plant. The college involves me learning units like PLC's and machinery as well as BTEC theory 1 day a week.

While studying in the college, I have learnt how to program PLC's, use a lathe and mill, as well as learning the techniques for filing and sawing. I have also learnt mechanical maintenance, where I had to strip down a vice or lathe, find the problem and put it back together again. I have also wired electronic boards and soldered. For BTEC, I have learnt Mechanical Math, Electronic Principles as well as Health and Safety.

I find the program enjoyable as it allows me to learn and enhance my skills as well as having a lot of practical work to do on PLC's, electronics, lathes and mills. I have felt like the work has been somewhat challenging, so that I am always improving myself.

The units itself were organised and structured very well and had a lot of support when learning them. The starting lessons for each unit was very informative and the activities and practical tasks within them worked well when the equipment did. The college could have been better in communication and their planning to help make it better from the start.

The employer comes in every week to ask us how we are doing and if we have any problems as well as catching us up on the latest news in BMW Group. He has also given us his contact details so if we do have a problem we can call or email him.

Generally, we have loads of support from the tutors and we have a lot of guidance when we don't know what we are doing which is extremely helpful. The training provider could have been quicker to respond to the problems with our timetables, but they got there in the end.

The qualification, when finished, will help me have the skills and knowledge to do my job properly, and especially Health and Safety, this is really important as it will help me keep myself and others safe through the right regulations. It helps me to learn how the job will be like and what problems may occur.

Due to COVID, we have been restricted to what we have been able to do with the company as well as leisure clubs and stuff. At the start of the apprenticeship, our group did some team exercises to help us get to know each other as well as making us more comfortable with the people at BMW Group.

Yes

This company is extremely beneficial to anyone who joins as there are many perks to joining, as well as the qualifications you receive at the end of it. The job is almost definite based on your performance in the theory and it gives a lot of room to improve your qualification.

Make sure that you research the company and know why you want to join the company, what is your motivation to join. Stay calm in the interviews and make sure that you talk confidently to the team or the interviewer and contribute as much as you sensibly can. Even if you mess up, don't think it is over, because sometimes they are seeing how you react to your mistake to see how good you are under pressure.