Business Management Level 3 Apprentice Review

I am a Business Management Apprentice. Throughout the apprenticeship, I will complete 4 placements around the business which are varied to widen my experience. I am in the Procurement function in Military Air and Information. I am currently in the F-35 and Operations Hardware team based at Samlesbury.

During my apprenticeship, I will attend college to complete an ECDL course (Microsoft Excel training course), Project Management, Customer Service and Level 3 Business Administration. As well as the mandatory qualifications, I also have the opportunity to do more within my placements which are specific to my role in the team. I have currently undertaken STEM Ambassador training as well as placement specific training in the department.

Joining the apprenticeship scheme and joining an amazing company like BAE Systems was the best thing I could have possibly done. I have completed my A-Levels at Sixth Form therefore I had the choice between joining the apprentice scheme or to go to university where I would have studied Business Management. I like the atmosphere here and the help/support that is given to us on a daily basis. I look forward to coming to work every day and am happy I went down the apprenticeship route.

I feel valued at BAE Systems. I am trusted to complete important work and am treated the same as everyone else in the team. I have been recognised twice in the first 7 months of being with the company: In my first placement, I received an award called the Derek Forrest Award for making an impact on the bid cycle from the F-35 Bid Integration Manager. In March 2016, I received an Above and Beyond Award for organising the National Apprenticeship Week with the rest of the Apprentice Council.

The programme is well structured. College is evenly spread out across the two years and NVQ is monitored by ourselves as apprentices. The apprentice team are friendly and always happy to come on site to help us with any problems.

The college tutors that I have had at an external college have been brilliant. They have been really helpful and have taught us at lot so far. The two business assessors are also very good, they are always happy to help with any enquires and will come onto site to help us with anything if we ask.

I have a lot of support from my current and previous line managers. They have been very helpful and have dedicated a lot of their time to help me when I need it. Things have always been explained to me and I have always been made involved in any activities within the team.

Very well. We get paid a very competitive salary at BAE Systems for apprenticeships. It is very encouraging and rewarding for our hard work. I travel 60 miles to and from work every day, extra travel costs would be very helpful as I am spending a lot of my wage on just travelling to and from wage. I currently am eligible to a £2.30 (approx.) allowance every day which is allocated to all apprentices regardless of where they are travelling from.

Yes there are a lot of opportunities. I have recently joined the STEM Ambassador scheme which is considered to be out of work although we are still representing the company. There are many social events throughout the year that everyone is invited to which is good to talk to people outside of work.

Yes

It is a great company to work for and I love my job. The apprenticeship scheme is brilliant for people not wanting to go to university. At BAE Systems you can learn and earn at the same time. You are open to study many further qualifications outside of the apprenticeship including degrees with are funded or partly funded by the company.

Act confident, ensure you show you are good at working in a team and use lots of past experiences in your life to explain your skills to make it more interesting and to stand out.