Higher Apprentice in Asset Management Engineering Review

My role as an apprentice involves a lot of enjoyable training either at the National Grid training facility at Eakring or Aston University, in addition to time on job completing projects and shadowing other members in my team. My team works on replacing assets within substation infrastructure in Asset Operations.

I have developed communication skills, presentation skills, decision making, time management and problem solving skills thus far during this apprenticeship. I have gained a lot of knowledge through the foundation degree as Aston University on specific knowledge on electrical power network engineering.

I enjoy this apprenticeship very much. I have a background in Economics from University and did not have much knowledge at all on electrical engineering. However, this company has been amazing in supplying the correct type of training to ensure that we are all taught the basics on this engineering and are able to develop our knowledge further to specialise our skills in this subject. The training experience has been so enjoyable as I have a great cohort of people around me, we have all created a good working relationship and look forward to training together.

I enjoy the structure of our programme, rightly so, the most training occurred as soon as we joined the company, and as each year goes on, we spend less time training, and more time on job. It is great to have the 12 months timetable available for access at any time, so that it is good to pre-plan around training for site visits and team meetings. So, overall I would say that the programme is structured in a well practical manner.

I am very grateful for my manager, we have a great relationship and I always feel comfortable to go to them for any help. My manager had really made me feel welcome in the team and ensures that everyone in the team has a great relationship with one another, we all get along really well. My business coordinator is also very good, they ensure I always have everything I need and catch-up with me to make sure everything is good. I am also very happy to have a buddy/mentor who is able to support me in any way necessary, this really helps with my journey on the apprenticeship.

I receive a good amount of support on the apprenticeship when working towards my qualification. We receive a vast amount of training, from health and safety courses, to electrical based knowledge training, to practical handling training. The training provider helps a lot with being able to move dates around, being there to listen and handle any issues. The training provider are always asking for feedback on how the team are performing and how their methods can be improved to make the experience better for the apprentices. I am also part of a group called QIG (Quality Improvement Group), this is a great way to collect feedback across all the apprentices and feed this back to the training provider to let them know about things that are going really well and what we have enjoyed in addition to actions that may be taken to better the process for the next cohort.

The foundation degree at Aston in Electrical Power Engineering is thoroughly important for my role. This course teaches all the knowledge that is required as a basis of understanding of the electrical network, its components and the impact of changes in the industry. These are all very beneficial knowledgeable skills that are required for my role. Furthermore, the training provided through the training provider are required for me to perform in my role, as we cover all the mandatory training as well as the training needed to be on site as a "person", be able to understand the health and safety implications, attain an IOSH qualification and an IAM certificate. These are all qualifications that I have attained a lot of skills and knowledge from that are critical to have for my role.

At the base training location, Eakring, there are many social activities and events to be involved in. We are messaged when there are executive members of the company coming to Eakring and we can join them for dinner to discuss how the experience for the apprentices has been going in addition to listen to the executives talk about their role and how they got to their current position. Employee Resource Groups are a great wat to keep in touch with various people across the company. I am a part of at least 3 ERG's which have provided me with the opportunity to go on site visits, including the London Power Tunnels, and join talks on different topics across the company. Academy and resourcing send us opportunities to help promote the programmes and STEM subjects to future candidates.

Yes

National Grid are a great company to work for, they are investing a lot in my future with a foundation degree and various qualifications that will aid me to fulfil my job after the apprenticeship. The working environment is great, people are always happy to help and it is a good culture to be a part of. There are so many initiatives and benefits that being at National Grid have, and these are all factors that allow me to feel accepted, and drive to stay at this company for as long as I can as they have respectable values and a good working environment that I would recommend to anyone.

I would advise that any applicants be confident when applying to National Grid, especially for the Assessment Centre, it is important that you get involved in group activities and make sure that you listen as well as communicate how you feel across activities as well. It is important to say how you feel, and ensure that you give yourself the opportunity to get involved. Furthermore, do some research to have an understanding of who National Grid are and what they do, what their values are, this will really help when applying to National Grid.