Business Apprentice - Production Planner Review

My day to day role involves planning the acceptance of the hawk aircraft and producing presentation packs to feed this information back into the management team. This is reviewed on a weekly basis, as work efficiencies are calculated in order to plan what stage the aircraft is up to.

I have learnt various new excel skills which is necessary as I work with these on a daily basis, as well as good communication skills within my team and when working with other teams. It is very important to have good team working skills and I believe my skills have improved dramatically over the course of my apprenticeship.

So far, I have loved the apprenticeship and all of the opportunities that I am given as a BAE Systems apprentice. We are offered to take part in a wide range of activities, as well as furthering our education and knowledge of the business.

I always feel like part of the team, and a very valued member undertaking my daily role. Within Hawk, it is very close connected and I always feel happy to take on any task or role I am given, knowing it will be appreciated.

The programme is very well organised over the 2 year period, as we are given the opportunity to complete an excel course, a project management course and our NVQ Level 3 qualification during this time. This is on top of our daily role and any extra curricular activities we wish to take part in.

I receive a lot of encouragement and support from the apprentice training school, as they undertake 12 weekly reviews with all of the apprentices to catch up and see where we are up to in our apprenticeship. We also have the opportunity to take part in air shows and a German exchange trip, all courtesy of the training school.

I receive a lot of support from my employer in terms of helping me settle into my role, allowing me to learn more about the business and giving me the opportunity to explore different career paths that I could take within the company.

The starting salary for an apprentice is extremely good for myself as an 18 year old. This gradually increases over the 2 years, however the wage I am currently on is difficult to handle home costs such as a car, rent etc.

There are lots of opportunities to get involved with various activities outside of work. This can range from charity events to taking part in a netball league. BAE Systems is all for promoting these types of activities.

Yes

Applying for the Business Apprenticeship at BAE Systems is the best decision I have ever made. It has completely changed my life and has allowed me to experience an interesting and vast job role, whilst learning and earning a decent salary.

I would advise others to become pro-active and get involved with team work activities, as this is something BAE Systems look for in their future employees. I would also encourage individuals to research the company and learn a bit about their values when applying.