Mechanical Maintenance technician Review

At the moment, the course is full time at college. We have a set weekly timetable, which includes a mixture of practical work as well as writing up work and knowledge questions. Typically, we have one lecturer per subject who guides us through the course content and creates tasks that meet the unit criterias.

Since starting the apprenticeship, I have learnt a lot of information that I didn't previously know, as well as expanded my existing knowledge. I feel that I have improved greatly on my ability to perform practical tasks, as well as massively improving my understanding of mathematical concepts and how to apply them to real world applications.

The programme is very interesting, and covers a variety of different topics surrounding aspects that will apply to my job when I go further into the workplace. When we get the chance, I enjoy learning about how mechanical devices and machines work. Sometimes I feel that writing up tasks every day becomes repetetive, but overall I am glad that I have the opportunity to learn before entering the workplace.

In terms of my employer, I feel that we are given plenty of information and support towards the programme, and if there is any questions as to what we are supposed to do we are answered quickly and in detail. However, In terms of the college unfortunately I feel that the programme is quite scattered and unplanned, with me, my colleagues and sometimes the lecturers quite often feeling unsure as to what we are supposed to be doing

I think that we get plenty of support from BAE, as we can directly message or call our manager with any questions or issues, and get the right information quickly. In my experience, using the employee support centre was also really positive, with the team being able to help with any technical questions I asked. We receive wellbeing checks throughout the year, allowing us to monitor how well we are getting on, which is good. In our induction, we were given talks that outlined all of the support networks within the company and how to use them

Some of my lecturers and assessors are amazing, who can answer questions quickly and are well trained in their specific subjects. However, in terms of any person above this, such as management, I have never felt they have done much for me and my colleagues. One situation that comes to light is when one of my colleagues was undermined and spoken to using language I would deem unprofessional from the lecturer, to which the lecturer had no consequence, then proceeded to brag about this in the following lesson.

I feel that my qualification will definitely help me in my role, as it has provided me with information that I feel would help me understand tasks I would previously be unfamiliar with. One thing that I have learnt the most in my qualification is how to apply what I learn to real life situations. For example, being able to get hands on with equipment and given the freedom to experiment with how each component contributes to a machine running I feel allows me to better understand how machines work on a deeper level than if it was just information on a page

As I have not been integrated into the workplace yet due to being in college full time, I am unsure as to the full extent of extra curricular activities on offer. I am looking forward to outward bound, which is a team building trip where we spend a week away in the lake district.

Yes

I would recommend BAE systems to a friend because I feel that they have given us the resources and support to enable us to excel within the learning environment, and have always been happy and positive in interactions with other colleagues and their personal experiences within the company. I feel that their is lots of room to develop my career

I would tell them to prepare to learn a variety of skills, and be able to work on practical work as well as written work. I would also tell them to stay on top of the work given out, as even though this might seem daunting, it allows you to put all of your effort into learning new information.