trainee Power Systems Engineer Review

on the job learning was spent in the office on placements with various teams throughout the business. other training was spent in Eakring training centre learning other aspects of the industry (such as general fitting, H&S at work, and first aid). academia was spent in aston university completing a foundation degree

throughout the scheme there were various opportunities to widen personal skill range, including general fitting, tutorials on software packages (i.e. MS Excel) online courses in asset management. however the majority of skills were developed from on the job training, focus from our line manager to up-skill an area of low confidence (presentations for me), also soft skills such as communication and teamwork.

from a personal level, i have enjoyed the scheme as much as possible. from meeting hundreds of new people, gaining independence, personal development, learning lots of new things, and becoming an authorised full time power systems engineer. all whilst earning a (free) foundation degree, and getting paid!

although all scheduled training was completed, there were sometimes situations where training had to be changed last minute (albeit changes were usually to accommodate the best training possible), and the process of finishing the apprenticeship was quite staggered and could be improved on.

support at every stage of the scheme. regular progress reviews allowed me to raise concerns/questions which were always addressed. i received support not just from scheme representatives, but all staff through the business were helpful and supportive with anything i needed, such as a 'buddy' or specialists in areas i wanted to learn.

Aston University staff would always answer questions/concerns raised, however, sometimes there would be a slight delay due to the part time nature of the degree. all questions/personal concerns were always addressed

the majority of topics covered throughout training had a direct involvement in the day-to-day placement work, and is still relevant even after finishing the scheme. anything which was covered in training which didn't directly impact day-to-day work still provided an insight into how other teams/parts of the business operate.

opportunities to travel to conferences, school open days, and other events. Eakring training centre has great facilities to hold social events and play sports. we travelled to north wales on a team building event where we were able to learn new skills, and push our limits (spent a night in the wild camping mountains)

Yes

the scheme as helped me develop on a professional and personal level. i have made new friends and picked up amazing qualifications along the way. National Grid is helping me further develop skills and higher level degrees, even after finishing the apprenticeship scheme

know the part of the business. there are many different subsidiaries of National Grid, and i think it would really help if you went into the applications knowing the differences between National Grid Electricity Transmission, National grid Electricity System Operator, National Grid ventures, and National Grid Electricity Distribution. knowing the difference between the above businesses and how they might interact would be key for an interview