Elector-Mechanical Engineering Apprentice Review

My job title is a 'Electro-mechanical Engineer'. At the moment my day-to-day work involves going to an official training school and learning the basic principals of Health and Safety, electronics and mechanics. I am on an apprenticeship with 14 other apprentices from DSTL that I see on a daily basis. We work on projects every week including hand skills.

I have learnt about the rules and regulations of the business, understanding the health and safety culture and I have been provided with all relevant training needed for my job and beyond. With the electrical training course I am on now, we are covering all the industry skills and knowledge needed to function in the electronics sectors of the company once I have completed my NVQ.

The program created by the training provider can be enjoyable at times, the practical work is essential and highly enjoyable. At times the theory work can become boring but it has to be done to get the qualifications at the end of the course. The people that are on the program with me are good to be around and the I feel it has met my expectations.

I feel that DSTL take the apprenticeship program seriously and value the need for apprentices. The fact that the IET overview the course, shows that it is recognised and valued. This is shown by the attitude of the team leaders.

The Electro-mechanical program I am on is structured well, incorporating training in areas such as electronics, mechanical theory, health and safety and practical hand skills in order to give me the best start to my career. Throughout the week there are several study periods and support is always there if I need it. Regular updates and reviews with my line manager mean that I understand where I am within the course and how well I am doing in each subject. Overall it is a very well organised program.

Regular updates with my line manager mean that support is there if I need it. So far I have not had to use the support that is there for me but I know it is always there.

DSTL have been very welcoming to me from the beginning, all the support that is there has been shown and offered to all employees. The attitude towards support is clearly key to DSTL's structure and is taken seriously.

As I live near-by (Salisbury), the salary is more that adequate to cover living and travel costs. That leaves me with extra money to save and to spend on luxuries.

As DSTL is a government funded company, there are not many opportunity outside of work. But they do offer a gym program and a range of sports to try.

Yes

Because it is a highly sort after apprenticeship that provides me with the relevant qualifications, industry experience and connections needed to start a career within DSTL.

When applying to DSTL I would recommend showing a keen interest in engineering and backing it up with evidence. If you are asked to come in for an assessment, ensure you answer the questions carefully and don't rush.