Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprentice Review

I start work at or before 8am, I work with documenting programs and writing code for fluid dynamics. I take part in a lot on on-the-job training courses to level up my skills. I attend meetings and get involved with ERGs as well as organising team events.

I have learned a lot about coding and practical skills in that sense. My workplace has also helped me to develop my public speaking and presentation skills, giving and receiving constructive criticism, and interacting in a professional manner.

I really enjoy working at Airbus, it can be difficult to change the way things are done as the company is pretty set in their ways but there are regular and easy-to-contact points for feedback. In my placement especially, more experienced employees are always eager to help early careers employees.

I am the first apprentice in my placement so there is a big of ambiguity about what it is I'm meant to be doing, however this can be good as I have the power to control exactly what I'm doing and when and shape my own career path rather than have it written out for me. However, Weston college is very disorganised, late assignment returns and poor communication between the college and the company. They do not follow a typical university structure, instead opting for a more school-like approach where lessons are held as opposed to lectures and workshops. In addition, the university day is very cramped and rushed as it is only one day per week.

Lots of support from my team. The early careers department itself gets very busy due to the volume of apprentices, grads and interns, so often don't have time to give tailored support to employees. However, there are a lot of very good wellbeing resources at Airbus that are designed to support all levels of employees.

I receive a lot of mental health support from my provider, making sure my needs as an autistic person are met. However, the actual university day can be really stressful as it is very busy and packed into one day when perhaps it should be split into two.

A lot of what we do at college is not relevant to my everyday work, but that is probably just because it is the first year, which is only covering very basic topics.

I am involved in a lot of ERGs and spend a lot of time organising events to better our workplace.

Yes

Airbus has a lot of room for improvement, but there's a lot of opportunity to feed back and I've never felt unsupported by them. I really enjoy the work day and the office environment and the opportunities to get involved in outreach regularly.

Be yourself. You don't have to be a natural leader to fit in at Airbus. Just be passionate about what you want to do and everything will fall into place.