Tool Maker Review

As a third year toolmaking apprentice, i have now gained a better understanding of engineering activities within BMW and partake in these actiities with more independance, the job involves the maintenance and modification of tools and dies, this can involve techniques such as welding, grinding, manual machining, and also the opportunity to learn CNC machining which is where my last placement was.

I have developed a wide array of skills to enable me to perform at my role effectively, for example within college i had learnt all of the foundational practical skills to include milling, turning, welding, electrical design, electronics, PLC programming, hand fitting, business improvement, and some other additional skills. Within the workplace i was able to develop on these skills by refining my skills to suit BMWs needs.

the programme is very enjoyable, as you have many opportunities for personal development, such as trips to other plants and schools to talk to other poeple and network, during the programme you may also be given the opportunity to work abroad, in my second year of the apprenticeship i was able to go to Germany for 8 weeks which gave me new insight into my role and i was able to network with apprentices globally. The least enjoyable part of the programme is when work starts to pile up it can get stressful, but with proper time management this can be avoided.

There is a decent structure to the general apprenticeship with clearly outlined placements, for example we know that the first year is full time college, and after that it is 1 day of college a week with 3-4 month placements around the workplace, some placements will be a better learning environment than others, due to factors such as workload and number of experienced workers in the area.

My employer is greatly supportive throughout the apprenticeship, offering training opportunties and reviews on a consistent basis to keep up with our progress. We also have a weekly update meeting where we can discuss any issues or concerns that we may have, it is also a good opportunity to interact with other apprentices in different roles.

There is a good amount of support from the training provider, especially in the 3rd and 4th year when you start working with the people who help you prepare and get through the EPA, we are given a lot of time within work to complete this work and are given a lot of support when we need it. In the first couple years of college, support is slightly weaker just because there are so many other apprentices who also need support.

My training is very relevant to my job role, as most of the skills i learnt during college do actually get used within the workplace and its easier to progress in them, some skills many not get used as much but it is still good having additional knowledge just so you know how things work.

There are many different extra curricular activites, such as school events where you promote the apprenticeship to students, there is also a charity team which i am part of, we have organised many events to raise money, and there are various networking events in different plants around the country, at this point i have been to every plant in the UK, incuding the financial headquarters, and have met apprentices in almost every role.

Yes

There are a lot of paths for progression and personal development in the job and the people i work with share similar values and work ethics which makes it a good place to work. You gain plenty of support from your employer and the training provider is decent as well.

If you are interested in applying to BMW i would reccomend researching different types of engineering activities, and if possible try and partake in activities outside of work or school to expand your hands-on skills, such as building a go-kart or helping in house remodelling, take pictures of these activites and you can use it in your application to convey how you are working with your hands and enjoy it.