Apprentice Quality Engineer Review

Providing containment of defective part stock to ensure an in specification part is used on every car - right first time. Working with suppliers to ensure proper root cause analysis of processes leading to out of specification parts as well as implementation of corrective/preventive actions. Management of supplier quality performance and ensuring that correct escalation, requalification etc is utilised and supported by the correct KPI's. Working with other departments on pre-series issues to ensure that the industrialisation process of pre-series parts is completed correctly.

Learnt the 8D problem solving methodology as well as supporting root cause analysis tools (Ishikawa diagrams, Is/Is not etc). Gained an understanding of Business Intelligence platforms in order to produce KPI data to track supplier quality. At university learnt report writing, laboratory skills and methodology. Gained IT skills, SAP, Excel etc.

Work with very friendly, skilled, professional people who will teach you a lot, the best part of the job. Company culture is hierarchal and can be bureaucratic and political which can be very frustrating. Due to being extremely busy, as an apprentice it can be difficult to breakthrough and start learning things. The role was not what I initially expected, lots of office work and sitting in meetings instead of being hands on.

Initial induction is more about celebrating the company than what to expect. Organisation/structure is down to your individual department and what they have in place, therefore this varies massively. Personally there was little structure and it was up to the individual to go and find what they wanted to do. Very little time to study during work hours. Very good buddy system, however not much mentoring from management.

Very good mentors who will help you find your feet, assist you with problems and escalate any problems you have. Not much interaction with management or HR team unless there are issues with pay, pension etc but have always been resolved promptly when requested. Generally treated like a member of the team and as an equal, my opinion is respected and good ideas are never closed down because of being an apprentice.

Very little support from the university, the program is poorly explained. The lectures are hard to follow and the content provided is not tailored to the ability of the class as a whole despite repeated requests. The communication with some lecturers and apprentice contacts is extremely limited which makes getting answers to questions difficult.

The qualification is not particularly useful or relevant for the role outside of manufacturing methods. Otherwise very little theory has been put into practice, however it teaches many transferrable skills such as electronics, programming, CAD etc. Don't know more about the industry as the program isn't very relevant.

There are extra curicular activities available however they are poorly advertised and hard to find out about. There are sports such as football, rugby etc, team events such as karting etc. Plenty to do in Chichester in the local area, social events are dependant on the department but have been frequent.

No

Good salary, nice people to work with however there is a lot of bureaucracy in the company which can be stressful and makes getting jobs that should be simple time consuming and stressful. The office environments aren't particularly nice places to work. The apprenticeship provides good qualifications however they aren't very relevant to the job and the providers of them are poor.

Be confident, practice the assessment tasks and interview technique/questions. Research the company and its history. Be assertive with management about what you want to do and what you expect if things aren't going the way you want them to. In hindsight the programme could have been described a lot more accurately so make sure you know what they're offering.