Control Engineering Review

As a fourth year apprentice I am working shift work in Body in White. I work with the Control Engineering team who support Maintenance Teams during production hours and then carry out project work outside of production hours. Throughout my placement I have been involved in a variety of different projects working with different members of the team

I am always learning. We use a variety of different software packages to make changes and monitor to the manufacturing processes so most of my learning involves becoming more familiar with them. I also get involved with manually activities such as changing robot motors and electrical inverters. By working on projects I am becoming more familiar with project management techniques

I highly enjoy my apprenticeship. Throughout my time the workload between college work and apprenticeship has been very easy to manage. I have also had opportunities to travel with work visiting both Mexico and the Netherlands. I look forward coming to work as the team i work in are always willing to help out.

The apprenticeship starts off being very structured with a clear training plan to help aid your development. There are timelines which state what and when we will be learning. All of our placements around the different areas of the business are mapped out in 3 month windows far in advance.

The employer is very supportive, they set out clear objectives and targets for you and schedule regular meetings to discuss your progress. There is always someone to contact if you have an questions. At first your training advisors are your main contact point, but by the end your placement manager takes over many of these responsibilities which helps with the transition from apprentice to a qualified engineer

BMET college have staff members on site in oxford who support us from the college side. They schedule progress meetings to talk through both College and Work related topics to help understand what areas could be improved. When I started attending university there was a support network to help with the transition

In your first year, the qualifications you gain are the foundations of your working skill set. But after that a large percentage of the academic theory we are taught is focussed on the design of electrical and mechanical equipment rather than the maintaining of it. There are only a handful of topics which are relevant to the job, and it is rare that these topics go into enough depth to be of much benefit

There are plenty of opportunities for extra-curricular activities. There are several different groups or teams you can be apart of such as an Apprentice Newsletter and a Charity Team. There are also opportunities to represent the company at different professional events and ceremonies. The most exciting opportunity is the potential to be able to spend time abroad working at another BMW location

Yes

There are 100s of different opportunities for you once you start your career. From the day you start your apprenticeship there is a clear development path which is flexible depending on your personal needs as well as your own desires. After your apprenticeship your are not limited with your opportunities with the potential to switch job roles.

Have a clear interest in engineering and manufacturing. Build a strong CV which supports these interests. You should be someone who is willing to push yourself out of your comfort zone to help benefit your future career.