Maintenance Technician Review

My role in BMW is to maintain and fix machinery with a focus on the electronic side. Currently, I attend college full time. Learning skills such as lathe work, milling, bench fitting, electrical installation, electronic assembly, fluid power and fault finding. Fault finding is within electronics, electrical and maintaining machinery and equipment (i.e. lathes, vices, valves).

I have learnt how to be critical of the work that I do, comparing it to tolerances and measurements that need to be met. During the degree lessons I have learnt how to code hardware and how to diagnose issues when syntax errors occur. Finally, during the electrical lessons I have learnt how to use different types and methods for testing equipment, such as the use of a multimeter.

I am thoroughly enjoying the current program that I am on. The work keeps me interested, constantly learning new skills and has allowed me to push further into the world of engineering. During the degree days I have been able to push my coding skills further and realize a higher level of potential.

The lesson structure has been excellent, every lesson we have had a plan to follow and are always ahead of schedule so work can be completed to a high standard. However, the management has been poor at planning our time at college, often not arranging an appropriate timetable. This has improved as of late however, after company intervention.

BMW have provided laptops for all apprentices to carry out their college and degree work on. They also provide us with excellent support, carrying out surveys to ensure that we are comfortable and enjoying our work. Our apprentice manager will see us once a week in person to see if we have any unresolved issues or problems and give us help in solving them.

The lecturers at James Watt college provide us with excellent support when it comes to our learning, they will answer any questions that you have and will go in depth about their topic to ensure that you have full a understanding. If you need any additional support they are more than willing to help you.

Although I am not in my role at the manufacturing plant yet, I can already see how the skills and knowledge can be transferred to what I will be doing. All electrical, electronic, fault finding and maintenance skills can be applied to my maintenance role in the plant. PLC programming and microcontroller coding knowledge as well as my electronic degree work can be applied to my roles later on in the plant towards the end of my apprenticeship when I take on more complex roles.

At the plant there are multiple actives that you can undertake in your free time. There is an onsite gym that is free to join, you do however need to apply for membership and there are limited places available. BMW also have held golf competitions in the past that are open to employees.

Yes

BMW have provided me with a rare opportunity to both get industry experience and a degree at the same time whilst also being paid, not many employers offer this. They offer a lot of support in the degree and course that I am currently undertaking and will offer further support when I am in placements during the next three years of the apprenticeship.

Get experience working in a job and carry out your own engineering projects prior to applying. This will show that you are willing to learn further and are serious about the type of role you are applying for (i.e. if you are looking to go into electrical engineering, carry out projects using microcontrollers).