Engineer Review

My role as an engineer varies depending on my current placement within the company, as we move positions regularly. Generally I will have a steady stream of tasks to work on. My company has a hybrid working system in place, and so I often work from home. This doesn’t feel as though it limits communication, as day to day I have regular calls and correspondence with my team.

I have learnt many new skills. This is in both my education as part of the scheme, which has greatly improved my knowledge of mathematics and physics, and given me manufacturing skills I didn’t have before, as well as in the workplace where I have learnt how to work as part of a professional project and team.

I enjoy my programme to a good degree. The different types of work alongside my education means that my day to day experience is interesting and engaging. Additionally I am given many opportunities to attend further knowledge courses and visits to other sites that are always an enjoyable learning experience.

I think my programme is fairly well organised. Each stream of the degree has an apprentice manager who we can contact for most things, such as cost approval and annual leave requests. There has been some level of discord with the changing of these managers for every stream, within the first 2 years.

I receive a good amount of support from my supervisors and managers. My placement managers are very understanding of my educational commitments, and my lecturers are the same for my work commitments. My employers are also very understanding with leave, allowing me to put forward my case in the event it crosses over something important.

My training providers provide varied levels of support. The lecturers handling my NVQ qualifications (Weston College) have been helpful and supportive in all aspects of my educational life. The provider for my degree (University of West of England) has been somewhat uncooperative, not being clear with us or the college what is needed from us.

I feel as though my qualifications contributions to my performance in my role are somewhat lacking. I do not apply any of my practical skills in work, and my mathematical and physics based knowledge doesn’t often come into place in the teams I have been in placement with so far.

Within my team there are opportunities for social activities. This is primarily found in the form of leaving events, where we meet up for drinks or a meal on a colleagues last day. The company also has sports teams, though I do not participate in any of them. There are occasional professional networking events, and apprentices are often invited.

Yes

I feel that Defense Equipment and Support is a good company that treats their apprentices well. The working environment feels welcoming when you first start, and it feels as though the company cares about my education and qualifications. Additionally the company has other benefits, such as a very good pension scheme.

I think it important to understand the company as a whole before applying. For this reason I would recommend that anyone who wishes to apply should first research the work of the role they are applying for, including the more technical details for an engineering role, such as the models of vehicles or weapons they will be working with.