Technical Apprentice Review

Currently I work in Operations and carry out repairs to various products that is worked on here, i also carry out Testing of the products that are being repaired. My day usually begins by finding the fault with the product i am given and then repair the fault to IPC standards. I then test the product to ensure it works to the standards we set.

I have developed my English skills, as someone with dyslexia i have to work harder to be able to convey the information in documents, by doing this apprenticeship i developed that skill so that i can convey the information with ease in formats i am comfortable in, i have also developed my skills in fault finding and paying attention to details.

I enjoy the programme once i get into the second and third year, the first year is teaching basics which doesn't always correlate to the roles carried out here at BAE, the second and third year teaches you more than what the first year could on how to do your role as it is all procedures that have already been written therefore it makes the first year redundant.

The programme is organised very well from the outset as when your hired and go through the orientation , there is clear layout of what your going to do through the entire apprenticeship, the structure is small within the first year as there is only direct supervisors, but in the second year and 3rd year you report to 2 sets of supervisors.

You receive tremendous amounts of support whether is mental health or physical health they will go out of there way to support you, when it comes to NVQ or end point assessment you get great amount of support to achieve this however like most places you have to make the first step into getting the support so its mostly down to the person.

When working towards qualifications such as NVQ you get very good support along the way such as weekly meetings or EPA which you get a lot of support to complete it. BTEC is at the training supplier and the support seemed to lack which caused a lot stress and hassle but since completing it i couldn't say if it improved or not.

The qualification will help me get higher positions however i do not feel that the qualification will help you better in cases such as the shop floor as the procedures are there to ensure you cant mess up as well as internal training such as IPC make you competent, potentially in other cases in the business the qualification may help you more.

From what I know there isnt really any social clubs or activities, most people have their team and socialise together or friends that work there stick together. There are times such as the awards evening where we network and all come together but there seems to be a lack of extra curricular activities.

Yes

its the best place to get a foothold to start a career in electronics or if you want to move businesses, the culture here is great and is getting better to accommodate everyone, the team your placed in cares about you and will help you with issues regarding work or personal life. The pay is good and the benefits are decent too.

Make connections, you can learn the role but the people you know will help you get the job easier, don't short sell yourself and be creative. Its great to have passion for electronics and do your research on the company and the site you wanna work at as this will help in the interview.