Higher Operations Apprentice Review

by Tarmac

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

7.9/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

I am now in my final year and an carrying out the jobs of a maintenance supervisor, meaning I plan maintenance and deal with plant breakdowns. I also review all of the inspections we get completed such as Structural reports, FETs, PATs and many more

9/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

Many, I am a lot more confident, I understand the machinery used in this industry a lot better such as conveyors, mixers, compressors and other areas of machinery. I have also developed my health and safety knowledge vastly, by completing a first aid course as well.

9/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I have enjoyed the work very much, I did not enjoy the studying at Derby University as I have never enjoyed school work, however the work itself has been very useful to me. I have learnt a lot and have an urge to continue learning

9/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

As far as the Tarmac side of things go, the course has run smoothly. However, Derby Uni and MP Skills/ MP Awards have not been very clear throughout the final year of our course, this could be due to COVID but we all have struggled as a cohort

4/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

A lot, my employer has been very understanding with the time I have asked for off, separate to work to ensure that I finish my uni work. I have took a lot on, making it sometimes hard to complete all of my work as well, but they have helped lots

10/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

Again, a lot, they have been very helpful by allowing me time to focus on my studies and providing me with time with separate areas of the business. This has helped me to complete my course which I soon hope to pass

9/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

Unfortunately, the focus of my course has been on the technician side of readymix. There was no course that would focus primarily on operations management and maintenance so I had to go with concrete technology which does not apply to my role within Tarmac

4/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

It would be unfair for me to say, as this is something that does not interest me and I have not actively looked for. I am sure that Tarmac do complete these kind of activities, but I do not wish to spend my time on them

9/10

9a. Would you recommend Tarmac to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

They have been a very good employer to me and have encouraged my growth personally and allowed me to carry out my training in time. The staff in my team are very good at helping eachother out and have definitely helped me develop my knowledge of the business

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Tarmac?

As long as you are willing to work hard and put in the hours required, you can get a lot out of a role with this company and can go as far up the ladder as you want. They can also be very understanding of different situations