Engineering Apprentice Review

Following technicians on the shop floor, assisting with maintaining the plant and partaking in workshop overhauls of equipment, with some tasks being undertaken independently when proven competent.

I am developing my existing theoretical knowledge and applying this to a real-world application.

Overall the programme is good, however as with any workplace there is a couple of catch points with management but not just for apprentices, these catch points are applicable to all in the departments.

The program is managed mostly by the college and timetables are loosely kept and deadlines change however the on-site work (majority of the time) are left for your own management within a timeframe. Site management don’t know what the apprenticeship fully entails.

Direct site management don’t fully know what is entailed within the scheme, however my departmental management and frontline team consist of a few ex-apprentices who know more what the scheme entails and the requirements so assist wherever possible.

When on-site with the training provider tutorship and support from tutors is excellent, however once back on site this support tails off as tutors are focusing on people they have on site and the course manager’s to-do list is always very long however he does try to reply.

The qualification is very specifically titled to the industry however is a generic practical engineering course. Some of the units seem only partially applicable, however those that are useful give the foundation knowledge you can then apply through on-site activities.

Not particularly - most of these seem to be available to people who don’t work in the factory, however there are some opportunities. Some maintenance teams organise some socials amongst themselves so to get in with these groups is beneficial.

Yes

Reasonable qualification and resultant career prospects for a young person not wanting to go to university.

Remember, this scheme is factory based, so be prepared for factory working hours and timeframes.