Engineering Technician Review

my day to day roles include working within the mechanical discipline on the naval ship project. mainly on pipework then using design software in order to route pipe work through compartments on board the ship, when problems occur it is then my role to find solutions to these issues and follow the correct process to resolve them

By working on the naval ship projects i have learned a lot of new knowledge based on the ship building industry. Within my job role i have then learned how to use different programs like FORAN and AUTOCAD in order to aid the design of the ship and produce a live model and drawings

I enjoy the apprenticeship as it allows me to learn through on the job learning, going around different teams and getting a feel for the work they carry out and gaining knowledge through the experienced workers. It also allows me to go to college and gain my qualifications while being paid at the same time.

The structure is well organised it consists of the first whole year is solely at college gaining general engineering knowledge by completing a HNC in engineering systems. From there you then move into the business 4 days a week completing 12 week placements in different engineering team and are at college 1 day a week completing another HNC then HND.

I receive very good support from my employer, through my apprenticeship i complete review meetings every 12 week, in these reviews we run through the whole apprenticeship, how i feel i am progressing and also talk about anything i feel that i need support on. If i feel there is something i need support on or training they are happy to support this,

When working towards my qualifications i receive support for my SVQ, this is the work based qualification where i have to complete log books of different tasks that i have completed. I receive 5 hours a week to work on the log books and any issues that are encountered can be expressed to my training officer who is always happy to help with any issues.

Through the two HNC qualification and one HND that is completed through the apprenticeship, i feel that this gives you a good foundation of engineering knowledge. It allows me to complete a number of different subjects that all contain different knowledge which i can transfer and use in my day to day work.

I feel that within the workplace it is maybe lacking on extra curricular activities. There are some small lunchtime discussion meetings that are sent out but this is really all i have seen in terms of extra curricular activities. If there were sports teams or other activities i feel that apprentices would enjoy this.

Yes

BAE Systems are a good company to work for. For apprentices they have a competitive salary compared to other apprenticeships, and as they operate in the defence industry it allows you to work on exciting engineering projects that you may not get to work on anywhere else, The company supports you and there is often always opportunities that come up to travel or advance your career.

When applying to BAE systems you should understand that it is a very competitive role that you are applying for so you should do the correct research into the company and also your job roll to know what it entails. You should be confident in your application and show willingness to learn as this is what BAE are looking for.