Rating

7.7/10
  • 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
  • Mechatronics Engineer Working with different machinery and components ensuring that they are running smoothly. Assisting in breakdowns to ensure that any issues are resolved as quickly as possible and fitting paint lines and spray guns within the booths when needed. Daily duties will differ between both electrical and mechanical maintenance tasks.

    8/10

  • 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
  • I have gained a number of qualifications so far. College training offers a variety of subjects including mechanical mathematics, hydraulics and robotics. There are workshop activities such as milling that we are trained and assessed in as well. Within work, there are many opportunities for training courses, ranging from first aid to working at heights. I have learnt how the business works and what is expected of me within my role, to keep everything up and running the way it should be.

    8/10

  • 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
  • I mostly enjoy working with the team within the plant - I much prefer this to the college days. I find that some of the things that we learn in college do not relate to our job role. The role was not what I was expecting at first but I enjoy it a lot and am extremely happy that I have this opportunity.

    8/10

  • 4. How valued do you feel by JLR?
  • I feel relatively valued by Jaguar Land Rover, however involvement within tasks isn't very high at the moment as we are still in training. The team that I work with show much more appreciation that management and are constantly there to offer help and assistance.

    7/10

  • 5. How well organised/structured is your programme?
  • The first year of the apprenticeship was definitely not structured. Lessons were mixed up and classrooms were double booked. The start of the second year was just as bad, some teachers did not know what year we were in, how long we had been in college for and what lessons we were even supposed to have. Within plant I receive a lot of help and support with subjects that I am studying.

    7/10

  • 6a. How much support do you receive from your training provider?
  • The majority of tutors are very helpful and will offer advice where needed. Some tutors don't seem to know what they are actually supposed to be teaching - which is not always there fault as some were not actually given a written structure of the course they were presenting. I do enjoy college most of the time but in the first year especially, I found some of the staff would treat me a little differently because I am female (this could be something as simple as assuming I couldn't lift something because it was "too heavy for me")

    5/10

  • 6b. How much support do you receive from your employer?
  • Within plant, the supervisors are always happy to help and explain any things that I am unsure of. I have only spoken to the HR team once in the first year when I was having problems with another student and they didn't seem to understand exactly how I was feeling. The union reps were brilliant and offered me all the advice that I needed. Any problems within plant are usually brought up with the team I work with, who will offer me advice on the best way to go about fixing it. The supervisors are always giving us information on training courses to further our knowledge within the business.

    9/10

  • 7. How well does your salary/package meet your costs?
  • The salary that I get is really good, for me. However, I do still live at home, lift share to college and don't have a particularly large amount of bills to pay. I know that other apprentices do struggle with money on occasion. However, the pay from the Jaguar Land Rover apprenticeship is much better than the previous apprenticeship I have been on and much better tat apprenticeships that friends have been on.

    9/10

  • 8. Are there many opportunities outside of work?
  • Outside of work there are CSR events that apprentices can attend, however this means having to have a day out of plant - you are not able to have a day off college for a CSR event. There are also opportunities for training courses.

    8/10

  • 9. Would you recommend JLR to a friend?
  • Yes


  • 9b. Why?
  • I would definitely recommend Jaguar Land Rover to a friend because I think that it is a brilliant opportunity to start your career and learn a number of skills that are transferable.


  • 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to JLR?
  • I would suggest that they take their time when completing the application form and make sure that they answer as much as they can. It took people days to complete the form to the standard that meant they were invited for assessment. On the assessment day I would suggest speaking to people that you are with and ensuring you have some practice interviews before you go.


Details

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Engineering

West Midlands

March 2016


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