Engineering Technician Review

Placements day to day after first year, plus time for college/HNC and level 3 NVQ

Yes I am much better at organisation and planning

I enjoy the apprenticeship and learning about aircraft and working on aircraft, however the scheme could be managed better and given more resources.

I enjoyed most placements, but struggled to be moved out of placements that were not benefitting me and I was made aware of placements at the very last minute, sometimes the day before I was due to move. College/HNC is very poorly organised as they arent given resources required by upper early careers, which puts a huge strain on the apprenticeship and stops a lot of the enjoyment. Level 3 NVQ is similar but slightly better managed, although I was left without guidance for 12 months+ which has made the qualification more stressful than needed to be especially for someone with special educational needs.

Personally, I receive minimal support for SEN, there needs to be more training for skills coaches etc on how to manage these issues, as engineering heavily attracts a neurodivergent population. However the safeguarding team have really helped me during the apprenticeship.

Nowhere near enough. We didnt get job pack guidance or anything marked for level 3 for over 12 months which was over a 3rd of the time we get to complete. This made it very stressful and meant I could not give my best efforts. Also I feel as though 4 hours a week is not enough and we mostly arent given the 4 hours as it is by placement managers

HNC in Aero Engineering is the only useful qualification we have done towards this role. Level 3 is mostly repeated stuff that is irrelevant and mostly just unnecessarily time consuming due to the volume and type of evidence required. Level 2 set foundations but not really relevant to any of the roles I have done in the business

Yes but everything else is so overwhelming that I can never make it as I struggle to find time and mental capacity.

Yes

Flexi time and hybrid working, company incentives

Research the company before applying/interviewing. Be yourself and don't expect to be an expert, just show willingness to learn and ask plenty of questions.