Commercial Apprentice Review

I am commercial apprentice and my role mostly consists of customer facing activities such as bidding for work, pricing up requests and contract management.

I have learned a wide range of new skills as well as developing skills I already had - this has been done through courses provided by BAE Systems and through experiences within the business.

I enjoy my programme a lot. At first I wasn't too sure whether it was the right career path for me as I have little interest in engineering and to be honest it was never what I dreamt of doing when I was younger but after a few months I soon realised I was in a well paid, stable job with great career prospects.

Despite having thousands of employees, I do feel valued within the company as the perks that we are provided with show that we are not always a profit driven company like some businesses that are renowned for having demotivated workforces.

I feel that the programme could be structured better as at times many apprentices feel they are not getting the support they need often enough. From what I have seen though the programme is improving.

We receive moderate support but at teams I feel as though I'm falling behind with my qualifications because I will request help if I am stuck on something and it can be months before I have a response. This is no fault of the training providers or their ability, it's just that there's so many apprentices to look after.

I receive a large amount of support from my employer whether it's career advice, flexible working hours or even health care.

As an apprentice I do feel that my wage is below what it should be when I compare it to people who do the same jobs as me in the office. I agree that the wage should be around £13k when we first start but I have developed into someone who can work just like a full time member of staff in the space of 12 months yet I am still on around £15k a year. Also, with some of the things I have to pay for at this age I do feel that I am stretched with my money.

Yes there are a wide range of clubs, societies and events that employees are welcome to get involved with.

Yes

They are a large organisation in a large industry that looks after their employees better than the vast majority in the UK and they provide a good salary (for full time employees).

Try to show in your interview process that you are able to work as a team player.