Apprentice Civil Engineer Review

Day to day I function as a site engineer, this involves a lot working out on site using a range of technical instruments such as Total stations, laser levels and GPS. My job mostly comprises of setting out given designs for gangs on site and some level of surveying for design levels.

I have great support from the team around me, there is an in-depth developmental curriculum which covers a range of personal development skills. I am undertaking a degree with a university which caters to a cohort of just degree apprentices. The difference between the skills learnt on site and the technical knowledge provided by university is worlds apart. The experience on site is so valuable.

I enjoy the opportunities given to me by the company, I am getting a wealth of experience of a range of different setting out opportunities. My team is highly supportive and I know I can turn to them and ask when I'm unsure or want to learn something new. The experience has been a great one so far, I'm enjoying it so much.

The structure of my program is quite in depth, I have a graduates and apprentices emerging talent which caters to CPD and personal development skills as ell as a separate curriculum of training for the apprentices which caters to specific enrichments and training including setting out courses etc. All the support is there where I need it, I have time to study an balance my role as an engineer. My entire team plays a role in mentoring me.

I get a lot of support from my team and manager when I have an issue I know that I can turn to anyone for help. My mentor is always very understanding of bits and pieces that I need and when I need to take time to study. Everyone has a good attitude.

I have access to both a personal tutor and a degree apprentice tutor who both cater to different roles, one focusing on any personal needs at the uni and one that focuses on CPD and monitoring the trackers I keep up with for my apprenticeship. They do not overwhelm me with work and keep the workload reasonable. The lecturers are always there for help when you need it and encourage questions. I enjoy doing my degree part time with LJMU.

a lot of civil engineering degrees cater to design, which isn't an area that I have a lot of experience in. Although, it helps explain things that I see on site its something that is less relevant to me. The experience of the job is worlds apart from that done on site, it better prepares me for working full-time and explains why many graduates are very out depth at the start.

Yes, thy offer a lot of sports opportunities and people like to fund raise, theres plenty of professional off opportunities to network and although sport isn't really my bag its there. They also offer the Brathay challenge where the apprentices go away together and do a lot of different challenges such as raft building.

Yes

The support offered by everyone that I have had interactions with is great, there are many people within my team that make living away from home a lot more bearable. They're accommodating in asking where you want to go for uni, and support you in enrolment. They give you the experience that you need to flourish as an engineer.

Make sure that you show that you have a passion for engineering, that you can work well as a team and that you are happy to take on a challenge. The interview is about showing that you have a spark to learn and happy to get your hands dirty. Its best just to show who you are as a person rather than try to fluff it up with false promises. The enrolment moves quickly, and the application is quite easy, as you often just send your CV into the recruiter.