Assistant Test Engineer Review

I am a member of the Test Engineering team on site. My day to day roles include assisting on the shop floor/production lines, maintaining the test equipment if any faults occur. Alongside this I also support the software that provides the guides for technicians to follow while working through the various stages of the build process. I also have the opportunity to work with many of the products that we produce on site as we provide the maintenance/renewal of the cable harnesses to ensure that we are testing with trustworthy and reliable test equipment.

I have gained a few qualifications through the apprenticeship already, from a level 2 in Performing Engineering Operations (which I gained within the first year of the apprenticeship), as well as a couple of level 3 qualifications and I am now studying the first year of my HNC qualification. Internally we have been given opportunities to gain training to study the J-Std and IPC (work and inspection) qualifications to allow us to work.re-work and then inspect the products to the required standard. I have learnt that I can take on a lot more information than I originally thought I could and this has helped me generate a strong base to build a career upon with this company/within this industry.

I enjoy the programme as I work within a small integrated team which governs a large proportion of the sites equipment. Members of the team are always happy to stop for a while and give assistance or advise to help overcome issues. The company seems to be good at looking after it's employees, as there are several perks of the job that not many people know about, its all about finding out who knows what. The benefit of this system is that the other employees are always more than happy to help as they are effectively fuelling the future of this business, and they understand and appreciate that, and as a result are more than happy to share the required knowledge with us.

Throughout the apprenticeship appraisal is given but obviously must be earned, just like any other job. It is recognised that while you are starting out your knowledge may not be 100% up to scratch, but when issues or gaps in knowledge arise, usually it is met by someone advising you of how the mistake happened or why, and what to do to prevent it happening again in the future. Now I am getting to the end of my apprenticeship I am starting to feel as though I am embedded into the team as a key member and that my efforts towards task contribution is a bit more defined now, meaning that I am left to get on with the job and upon job completion, especially if the job done is of high quality, the contribution I made to the job is received with high praises.

I believe that the structure of this training programme is well thought out and that the company are doing really well at encouraging young people to take a career in the direction of the STEM subjects. Inductions have been well thought out and the training that is provided covers apprentices of all abilities, as it starts with the basics and builds upon that. The support offered, not only on, but also off site is comforting as you're never left feeling as though you have been left in the dark or out on your own. The 12 week review structure is good as it allows plenty of time between meetings to achieve larger and more complex tasks, yet the more frequent 'NVQ reviews' as we called them, are a little less scheduled and have a bit more range of context to allows for a broader area of guidance for those who may not be sure on where they need to guide themselves to so that they aid themselves on the path to completion.

I have received plenty of support from the training provider. This has made it feel like a more comfortable learning experience and has given me the opportunity to focus on the learning aspects of the apprenticeship rather than to worry about a poorer quality training/trainer.

The support I have received from my employer has been second to none. No matter who I ever turned to they were always understanding and actually listened to any issues and came to a justified and reasonable decision. Obviously the support on offer is comforting for all employees. The attitude towards supporting 'you' the individual is effectively because as an apprentice the company invests in you and your learning to become a member of the company and work to achieve our larger goals. The support has come from all angles within this role, HR, team leader, even the NVQ assessor. you are definitely given the sense that they want you to succeed, after all you did come out on top after the interview process.

This was the only major issue for me if I am completely honest. Due to the fact that I had my own place when I started the apprenticeship, had bills etc. But considering that training that is provided and the staged pay increases it quickly becomes irrelevant as you realise that things like the social life and leisure activities can take a back seat for a while as you are effectively paving the path for a successful career, so a few months of 'hardship' are worth going through to make things considerably easier in the future.

There are many opportunities outside of work ranging from charity work to other company events such as fun running, cycling events, family fun days on site. When I wasn't at work I took part in the Engineering taster Week, arranging a week for school students to come and have a look at what working for the company or just generally in the industry would be like so that they either cement their decision or maybe open their eyes to a career they never thoughts about before.

Yes

The overall experience that I have had here has been second to none. The support and guidance have been great and I now know that if I wanted it, not only a job at this company exists but the beginning of a career.

During the application process just be yourself, express your likes and dislikes, be calm and composed, interviewers are not there to catch you out they are only there to see who you are, there's no point pretending to be someone you're not as that's not what they'll see if you get through to further stages in the interview process. I feel we were told all of the relevant information as and when required, but if in doubt just be aware that it will be worth it in the end!!!