Control Engineer Apprentice Review

First year is dedicated to the training school. Here, health and safety is introduced and core skills are developed. From here, second year is when placements occur. A day-to-day basis in placement starts by arriving 10 minutes early so one is ready to work when their working day starts. After this, integrating with the maintenance team and shadowing them is the general overview of the day. This can range from assisting them in jobs to monitoring systems.

A plethora of new skills have been learnt and developed. This ranges from networking and socialising to practical and mechanical skillsets. This demonstrates that both personal and professional skills are developed. Almost all of the new skills that are learnt occur when one is open to trying new things and getting involved with the opportunities provided.

I particularly enjoyed the first year as this felt almost similar to a school environment and I believe it was well delivered to teach us the relevant skills and knowledge. Placements, however, are a lot more reliant on the group one is with. This can either be good as the maintenance team can be accommodating and willing to teach you or sometimes the day can drag if little work is available.

The overall structure of first year training school, second to start of third placements, and third to fourth shifts is carried out effectively to ease you into the next stage of the programme. However, there is a lot of documentation that has to be completed and sometimes it can seen unending.

Any issues or queries can be confidently relayed to our training manager/s and the appropriate response is consistently delivered. Furthermore, they actively seek further opportunities for those willing. Out on placement, a lot of the support has to be commanded by oneself as the placement managers have more immediate responsibilities to attend to.

The main tutor is of great help and understands individual circumstances. With this, situations can be understood better and less questions will be asked. Furthermore, any help needed can be confidently requested and normally the correct help is attained. The general attitude of the training provider staff is faultless whenever interaction is required.

The first year workshop skills have definitely been beneficial and applicable to placement roles and jobs on a day-to-day basis. However, unlike the practical aspect, I could not say the same for the some aspects of the theory. Overall, the physical aspect definitely contributes but the theory is less obvious, but still useful.

As an apprentice, most extra-curricular activities are those arranged by other apprentices. These are inclusive and invitations are for those already involved or those in the selected groups. However, this is natural and expected from those around the teenage year. Furthermore, if one found out about an event an apprentice was arranging, they would normally be welcomed to join in and get involved.

Yes

Personally, I would recommend the apprenticeship scheme to a friend due to the qualifications, knowledge and skills to be obtained. With these as the main focal points, the apprenticeship programme is a great next step for those unsure between work and further education, as both are provided at a set standard.

When applying, always be sure to submit applications and further steps within the specified deadline. If successful, research typical interview questions and the company - I found YouTube to be particularly helpful for this. However, I would say to thoroughly research not just the job role one is applying for but also the qualification and what revenues can be taken from there,