Combat Systems Apprentice Review

As a Combat Systems Apprentice under Naval Ships, I work on systems both in development and in service through a variety of specialisms including networking, cyber security, hardware and software. We have 6 month placements in project teams learning business processes and engineering skills within our specialisms and outside. These team placements work in conjunction with early careers support.

As a computing base apprenticeship, combat systems were new to me. I came from a mathematics and physics background with little relevant experience. The college course taught me valuable basics, but the vast majority of my knowledge has come from the teams I have worked with. My knowledge and experience have expanded dramatically over the four years.

Working with different project teams has been excellent fun. The support and experiences offered by early careers have been somewhat stunted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but as I complete the scheme, it appears that steps are being taken by apprentices to improve links to other apprentices nationally and locally within BAE Systems to ensure improved social elements.

My programme was not very well organised or structured by the early careers team. Apprentices were left alone to a large extent to organise placements and communicate with the college and university. Some apprentices therefore have been left unaware of potential opportunities. As I am leaving the scheme though, there is a marked uptick in the early careers organisation of the programme.

All the project teams I have worked with have been very supportive and engaging. Support has not been forthcoming. Steps are being taken to improve this, however my personal experience was a lack of support, and a siloing of different apprentice cohorts to a large extent.

Apprentices are given plenty of time by the business to work towards qualifications. Day release at university means apprentices have one day a week solely dedicated to education. Study days are also allowed during periods leading up to deadlines and exams. Most apprentices find it easy enough to work studies around work as teams are also encouraged not to overload apprentices.

The qualification provided is a Digital Technology Solutions degree, but then individual apprentices can choose to apply for a specialism within this course. Each specialism then has tailored units within the qualification making it well personalised to apprentices goals. Options are also available to change or select specialisms after a year of study.

As stated previously, my extra-curricular experience has been stunted by a significant siloing of apprenticeship cohorts. As time has gone by, apprentices have worked to break these down on an individual level, and the early careers department is now working to recover from a slump in apprentice engagement. There have always been plenty of opportunities, and now awareness has improved too.

Yes

Although my experience has been far from ideal, I have seen significant improvements in the apprenticeship scheme over the last six months, and some admirable goals for early careers to achieve in the near future. The projects are interesting, the university support is good, and now the support and social side is improving too.

If you are inexperienced like I was coming into this industry, then look to develop your breadth of knowledge. Ensure you have a passion for the products the company is working on, and the organisations it supports. BAE Systems is a great place to start your career and allows a lot of freedom to make the scheme your own. Try to plan what you want to learn, where you want to go, and the scheme will be able to facilitate your preferences.