Cabling Design Apprentice Review

My role as a cable design apprentice currently involves shadowing qualified colleagues on projects and learning about the intricacies of the cabling design profession. The day to day work can vary differently but it all revolves around learning about the design and construction of cables for example, some days I am given tasks to calculate the current rating of a cable or to watch a call on cable testing to learn about the the acceptance factors of the cables. Other days consist of doing cable wiring diagrams or producing spreadsheets cataloguing the different samples of cable that are in the office.

I have broadened my knowledge of the Excel spreadsheet software and I have learned how to use python to create a simple string of code to do calculations when doing the cable current calculations. I have also learned how to draw different ways that cables will be installed on autoCAD and how to determine what extra components are required for an installation.

The programme offers a wide variety of learning opportunities for a large amount of different skills and allows for a lot of personal growth. This programme also offers a vast amount of progression opportunities which will be invaluable when building a career. However, currently there are fewer opportunities to go on site and learn about the work being done first hand than what I thought there would be.

The programme is extremely well structured and it is easy to see what career paths are possible depending which route you may choose to follow which allows me to focus on strengthening certain attributes to push myself on the path of the career I want in the future whilst still allowing me to branch out into learning different skills.

My employer supports me a lot as there are a lot of teams calls that focus on developing skills in apprentices and informing apprentices on what is happening with the company and providing information about the different career paths that are present within the company. My employer has also paid for various activities to help develop skills as well as paying for accommodation whilst I am away studying.

My training provider offers a lot of help for working towards my qualifications in terms of software provided and access to websites and on site facilities. However, when contacting the staff, sometimes I can be waiting for a few days for a reply and replies can sometimes seem vague or unhelpful.

I feel that the work I have done for my qualification helps me perform much better than before as I have done work that is applicable for my job and it has helped on projects and training. However due to the nature of the qualification, some of the work done does not seem like it will be applicable to this job at current.

There are many different social activities offered by the workplace in the form of life events where an activity like bowling or crazy golf is chosen on a date that works the best for as many people as possible so that we can socialise and have fun together without thinking about work. There is also a special event for the apprentices in the Lake District for developing unique skillsets and having unique experiences.

Yes

Balfour Beatty offers many opportunities to have many unique experiences and learn many new skills. It is also a great place to work where you will feel valued and included in any conversation. There is also a lot of job security as the construction and engineering trade will always require people for work. The company also have some great schemes like their pension scheme or dental and health schemes.

It would be helpful to have some technical knowledge about the subjects that are involved with the role you are applying for.