Apprentice Review

I am currently a manufacturing engineering apprentice, supporting the ME lead for my area. In this role I look at the data surrounding product yield and the number of defects we see on the production line. This involves a lot of data analysis and communicating with various stakeholders around improvements that need to be made.

I have certainly developed data analysis skills and when presenting the data, focusing on presenting the most valuable data to the stakeholders. This then leads to valuable discussions around next steps and what we can do to drive down the number of product defects. This promotes public speaking skills also.

I thoroughly enjoy my programme for a number of reasons. 1) The ability to be able to rotate across various business functions to better your understanding and knowledge and build a more established network. 2) The university side of it although it can be very challenging with time management between other responsibilities, I enjoy learning about the various areas needed for business management and leadership. 3) The number of people you meet, learn from and develop your knowledge with.

I think there is a 'structure' in place from previous years but this needs to be revamped or communicated again so that everyone is fully aware of programme requirements. It is very easy to become tied up with day to day and forget to do a review here and there. Recently, I believe it has been more organized and I think enrichment has supported this transition. It gives appentices the opportunity to try new enrichment groups and improve the business input in these areas.

This is something I feel very strongly about. There is 2 ways to look at this. 1) any team that I have moved into have been so helpful and want me to thrive and excel. My line managers, current apprentice lead and other colleagues from across the business have also been very supportive of my work and when I have needed it if I was struggling. 2) However, the worst support from the employer is the lack of training. Moving into roles, you get basic on the job training and are expected to develop each day you work. But there needs to be slide packs/documents in place that you can have access to which explain the requirements of the role and how you can complete your job. It should not be the sole responsiblity of your colleague to train you as they have all their jobs too

The university lecturers are very supportive and helpful during our module work. They push us to think creatively, ensuring we can elaborate and evaluate on decisions and projects that we choose. We are pushed to gain evidence for our Chartered Managers Institution criteria so that we can obtain the highest qualifications

It helps to push me to improve a range of skills from public speaking to time management. Some of these skills can be very hard to improve so they offer advice through tripartite reviews on how we could manage these skills better. It supports our roles by helping us actually identify needs

There are a few extra curricular activities to get involved in at GEAC. We have sports reps for the site who help organise sports events across the year. I organised a 100 player football tournament last year which we are making an annual event and there is bi weekly 5 a side football matches. I am also aware of yoga classes, climbing groups and many more. However I think GEAC should look to invest into more in house sports facilities.

Yes

It is a good place to work with many opportunities for development and networking. GEAC has many benefits from flexible working hours, pension schemes, flex choice and paid holiday. That just lists a few. There is also a reward and recognition scheme where employees can get recognised for individual efforts that have massively impacted the business

Just be yourself. GE Aerospace definitely looks for big characters who can bring creative thinking to the table. GE will invest time and effort into projects that have a strong business case which can save costs and time to the business or look to become more lean. Furthermore, a candidate applying to the role should be expecting to give strong answers when being asked about past successes and experince