Engineering and Manufacturing Technician Review

As a test engineer, my role involves following a set of instructions to test an electronic unit and record the findings against the limits provided. The second half of my role involves further analysis of the unit, using a range of electronic test equipment, diagrams, schematics, component data, test documents and more, to diagnose and fault find.

Across the 2 years working within industry, I have learnt how to use a range of test equipment, become familiar with the data management systems used (SAP), enhanced my knowledge and skill set with Excel on the job and Microsoft Word within college time and improved my communication and articulation to ensure information is received correctly.

Having struggled to embrace the work and opportunities provided by my employer to meet all the programme requirements, I was not comfortable with the structure and some of the requirements. This could however be partially associated with a lack of support and understanding surrounding the programme. Nevertheless, the ability to attend further education on a day release course has been a great benefit to the programme structure as this has allowed me to achieve certain qualifications whilst enjoying life from the salary provided.

Poorly, terribly, non-existent. During the initial PEO course I felt a lack of motivation because half the time involved sitting in a class room with no work or engaging activities. Although I appreciate my cohort joined the scheme during the pandemic (2020), since then I have spoken to some lower year apprentices who have also had similar experiences. When entering the business as an official apprentice, I was under the impression that my programme would be structured in 4 months placements to allow for a broad exposure to various work and ensure I could meet all the KSB requirements. Due to a lack of communication between the early careers team and my senior management, this was not apparent for a long time. Every day was unknown and for a while I was buddied up with a couple people, which was a positive solution, however it still felt like there was no structure to my programme. As time when on I felt the need to speak up, ask for more challenging and diverse work and proceeded to make my management aware of the programme requirements. After nearly two years a 3 monthly rota was created to allow all apprentices to experience both the manufacturing work, and provide an overview of some other areas within the business for shorter intervals of time.

On site my direct managers, peers and colleagues provide excellent support and guidance through both technical problems and more personal issues, however some of this support has only emerged after having expressed the need for it. My relationship with the early careers team has been difficult and frustrating, lacking support, understanding and an appreciation of my working situation.

Fareham CEMAST College provided excellent support throughout the HNC course and are continuing to through my HND. Within my place of work there are a select few individuals always happy to help and support with college work and evidence reports, however they were often restricted by time and their full time roles within the business. My direct senior within the early careers team lacked an understanding and appreciation of the work I undertook on a daily basis making it difficult to gain technical support from this individual. With regards to the apprenticeship work (evidence reports and observations) I have found this same individual to be completely incompetent, often changing the remit and causing confusion. Although he did try to support me, I found it difficult to trust his advice based my experiences throughout the scheme.

The knowledge learnt during my Electrical and Electronic HNC is directly relevant to the work I achieve in my role. There have already been countless times where I have seen a crossover of knowledge and this has supported my understanding of these topics within the working environment through practical skills.

There has been a wide selection of events hosted and organised by other apprentices across the local Portsmouth sites. This includes social gatherings, volunteering activates, sponsorship events, sporting clubs and professional networking to encourage more communication between the different apprenticeship schemes. These were all advertised via email and sometimes using WhatsApp for regular occurring activities.

Yes

The opportunities within BAE Systems are endless and networking helps to discover these. The support I have received from my colleagues has been outstanding, providing advice on college assignments, detailed explanations regarding technical knowledge and life skills advice. The work we achieve within BAE Systems is something to be proud of, and sharing this with likeminded individuals makes you feel important and trusted.

Gain an understanding of what BAE Systems is all about by researching their main sectors, there is plenty of information which can be found within the BAE Systems website. During your application, it is important to portray your interest in engineering (maybe through hobbies or work experience) as well as discussing other interests. Advice to those who are successful with their applications: take every piece of work as an opportunity to prove your commitment and competency. Get involved with some of the extracurricular events to maintain networking throughout your career. Don't be afraid to ask questions and truly understand the work you are achieving and reach out for support when necessary.