Assembly Apprentice Review

Currently, I am supporting the assembly planning department with project work and with daily tasks. Daily tasks consist of supporting with process/documentation change requests and carrying these out/re-writing documentation; supporting with the upkeep of equipment, including relaying damages, mis-labelling etc. for the zone I have been assigned to and organising my own task list and responsibilities by record of a LOP with due dates. Project work includes liaising with a department mentor who will set out a requirement, usually triggered by a process specification addition/change, and then arranging a project plan to fulfill this requirement. The requirements of the project may involve speaking to external suppliers, assessing current situations on the assembly line, researching equipment and liaising with different colleagues within the company to help achieve the requirement. Overall this has been a good experience for me, although I would like a bit more contact time and support with my placement mentor.

Since working on my L4 HNC part of the course, following on from the completion of the L3 NVQ course, I have learned and developed many personal and technical skills. Many of these skills I have gained and developed through being given more responsibility within my job role. Some of the skills I have developed include my presentation skills and overall confidence. Prior to starting the apprenticeship, I was extremely nervous speaking in front of people, and presentations were very nerve-wracking for me. Through presenting at the workplace and in college, I have gained confidence in this area, and now can not only prepare better for them but I can deliver them in a more confident way, without feeling quite as nervous. My organisational skills have also improved, allowing me to understand and deliver tasks to a set standard and requirement, whilst balancing the completion of my college work. As well as my personal skills, I have learned to use lots of different software within the workplace, and learned the required processes to follow when things in plant need updating or changing. I have also learned how the delivery of certain tasks is expected, and I am developing how I present myself and my capabilities as an employee.

Overall, I have mostly enjoy the program, as it has helped me to really develop myself as a person as well as my skills. I am supporting and promoting a high-end business, learning about how it functions and how to support it in the best possible way, whilst developing myself personally for my own development and gain, whilst getting my qualifications paid for. Whilst the experience has been good overall, there have been really tough and lonely times where I have felt a real lack of support both from my training provider and the workplace. During the L3 NVQ, although the course was interesting, I felt that the modules covered did not really relate to the work we were expected to support with in the workplace. As well as this, it felt at times as though the workplace were very much taking advantage of our availability, repeatedly using us to support with tasks at work that did not aid our development, but they seemed to use us as we were the easiest and closest available option.

The organisation of both the structure within the workplace and the structure provided by the training provider is something that has typically been quite lacking. Throughout the course of the whole apprenticeship, there has been a severe lack of communication between the training provider and the workplace, and this has caused unnecessary stress on many occasions. It has meant that our general responsibilities at the workplace, and at college, have been wholly undefined. Since gaining extra support from apprentice advisors within the BMW group though, this has greatly improved, and they are supporting us and our relationship with both our training provider and the workplace. This has helped morale overall I feel, as well as our development and defined responsibilities.

Since extra support has come in in the form of apprentice advisors from the BMW group, we have had much more support than in previous years. We now have quick responses to any queries or questions and are supported to speak openly and honestly about our experiences. As well as this, they have supported our development and are supporting us with moving into our full time roles post-apprenticeship. There is still a bit more structure that could be implemented here in the form of responsibilities, but I appreciate how much more support we are now being offered in comparison to previous years.

I have had both good and bad experiences with the training provider. In the first two years of the apprenticeship completing the L3 NVQ, our expectations and targets were under-defined, and the modules we covered were not really relevant to our progression within the company. As well as this, there weren't really opportunities to discuss progress with assignments and to receive feedback from our tutors. In the second two years of the apprenticeship and now coming to the end of the L4 HNC, we receive much more feedback for our assignment work and constructive feedback for improvement in the form of formative feedback sessions. As well as this, we receive regular meetings with the apprenticeship tutor at college for safeguarding and support with how we are coping. Our lecturers are also more on-hand to support with any issues.

Again, this is mixed depending on which qualification is discussed. The L3 NVQ covered units that were not really relevant to our development within the workplace, although it was an interesting course overall. The L4 HNC covers much more relevant units, although some are a bit outdated. Namely, we covered 2D CAD software, of which is not used in the workplace or much now in modern society when compared to 3D CAD. It might be nice to cover lean manufacturing in the L4 HNC, as opposed to just the L5 HND which is not offered as standard.

There are a range of extra-curricular events that we can support with during the apprenticeship, and the ones I have enjoyed most participating in have been the college and school events. I really enjoy promoting the brand and and speaking to people who do not know much about the company. I also enjoy the speaking and presentation skills this is enabling me to develop. It might have been nice to be involved with an out-of-work event, a social event, a bit earlier in the apprenticeship, though I understand this is now being arranged with the support of the BMW apprentice advisors.

Yes

To put simply, if I had not completed this apprenticeship, I would not be the person I am today. Nearly 4 years ago when I started with the company, I was shy, nervous, and did not have much knowledge of manufacturing, engineering or how modern companies functioned. Today, I not only have much of this knowledge, but I am actively contributing to the functioning of the company, and I am further developing my skills both to support the company, and for my own personal gain. I am so much more confident and outgoing, and the things that used to terrify me are now a challenge I take part in keenly.

A few things to note are that the application process may take longer than expected, and since it is such a competitive program, nothing is guaranteed. Interviews may not be until May, and confirmation might not happen until June, so it is worth ensuring you have contingencies. As well as this, through the application process and even past that into life, whether it be with Rolls-Royce Motor Cars or not, I would say never be afraid to try something or put yourself out there, because you never know what you might be able to achieve.