Technical Apprentice Review

Day to day I am directly involved with the project actively being a part of the team. I work on building my skills and knowledge on the products within. I repair our flight head up displays to civil aircraft standards and carry out rework, test and build on a variety of products within the project.

I have developed my base knowledge of electronics to a high standard as well as learnt new skills such as soldering and hands on rework and assembly. I have also learnt company behavioural standards so that I can adhere to company conduct. Finally, I have developed my skills in fault finding and teamwork.

I enjoy the involved nature of the programme where I am able to actively participate in the company and team. I am treated as part of the team and based on performance, additional responsibilities are given as opportunities to show my skills and abilities off. Overall, I am enjoy the programme a lot.

My programme is highly organised and structured well with support never being difficult or far away. Even those who aren't directly involved in the programme are still very supportive across all aspects whether it be college or within the workplace. The steps and gateways on the programme are designed to be linear in progression and not jump forward too quickly.

I receive plenty of support throughout my apprenticeship with actively seeking it myself and or the apprentice team approaching and offering any if required. There are occasionally catch up sessions with the team which sometimes have a purpose, other times to see how we are doing and provide any support or advice required.

Due to the low number of training providers that match the schemes requirements it is hard to get support from the training provider we used in the programme. Points for improvement and changes were raised and over the years it is set to improve at the provider. However, I believe they are sufficient for the scheme.

The hands on NVQ significantly assisted in moving into the work place as the NVQ is a hands on practical course that helped me develop my electronic assembly, soldering, fault finding and rework skills. However, on the BTEC it was not quite as directly focused to what we carry out in the workplace.

The apprentices often set up their own social events/gathering however, apprentices are frequently invited to company functions to develop their network of people. Apprentices also do a team building day out on their induction and are set to carry out a 4 day activity course in their second year however, due to COVID I never experienced that.

Yes

BAE Systems is a large local employer and the schemes ran can provide a great start or stepping stone into the industry. The benefits such as flexi-time and the share scheme provide additional support and incitement to the stay at the company. The new projects are always interesting and good to get involved with.

Always have a strong working attitude and interest in your role. Always ask for support or questions to develop your understanding as everyone is well versed in the industry and are always open to answering questions. Get involved with all the teams and build strong workplace relationships and develop your interpersonal skills.