Nuclear Degree apprentice Review

We move around on placement rotations every 3-6 months so the say to day varies. At the start of a placement they get you up to speed on what that team does and then you start to get assigned the same sort of work the team does. Generally speaking it consists of completing daily tasks, meeting stakeholders and going to meetings.

I have learnt many and developed many. It has helped with social skills, confidence, teamwork, punctuality, working under pressure, business briquette and integrity. The list goes on. I apply most of the skills on a daily basis and they are hard to improve normally. But the nature of the apprenticeship means we have to employ these skills.

I enjoy the programme a lot. The balance of one day at uni and four at work works perfectly. There is flexibility with placements and rotations and it is very accommodating in general. We get to do plenty of valuable training and are treated well.

It is very Well organised for the most part. There is regular meetings to raise and tackle and to keep everyone up o date. We have 12 weekly reviews to look at progress and well being. We also have trackers and behaviour matrix to keep track of targets and behaviours within individual placements. The rotation system works well and gives us the flexibility to change and adjust. There are smaller issues with trying to make changes to the scheme which can cause problems in some cases

We receive good support from functional leads and skills coaches/ mentors. Placement managers and fellow colleagues are always helpful and accommodating. there are some concerns with support from the company itself. I was given very short notice on start date and no help on what to do about accommodation other than suggesting a hotel which is not a viable option for a teenager, especially when the first pay was delayed and there was no financial aid. There was little instruction on what was to happen and what we would be doing, things were poorly planned at the beginning. However, things since have greatly improved and our smaller section of apprentices is well managed and well supported.

The support we receive can be a bit hit and miss. Some of the staff are very on it and very helpful. Some less so. Issues with staffing also hasn't helped, with teachers leaving on short notice and what not. the quality of education is decent but heavily depends on who you have teaching you.

i don think the qualification makes a big difference earlier in the scheme as a lot of the things we work on is rehashing a level topics but later on when we cover nuclear specific modules I am sure it will aid our work.

There is stretch that we need to do where we go to schools and work with kids and teach the about nuclear engineering and answer questions and help the spread of misinformation. However, there isn't lots socially other than work dos and occasional charity and apprentice events. The area itself is lacking in activities unfortunately which doesn't help but some good events are put together for socials occasionally.

Yes

The company provides a good apprentice scheme and is fairly accommodating. It is a promising career path and there is a push to get the apprentices to be senior at the company and go onto bigger things. there is options of global travel to other BAE sites and great benefits (pensions, shares, etc.)

make sure you have done research on what we do here and understand what it is you will be working on. Make sure it is something you want to commit too and have a vested interest in. Especially on the apprentice scheme as it is a very long time and its not always easy. As far as the interviews, also do research on the sort of questions that are asked and have an idea of what to say beforehand.