Mechatronics Engineer Review

I am working as an apprentice maintenance engineer. The tasks that I have to do will vary on a day to day basis. I work with different equipment, machinery and technology, depending on the task that has been given to me. Tasks include electrical, mechanical and programming job, which I complete with the supervision of a qualified member of staff.

Over my four years, the qualification I will achieve is a level 2 qualification. I will competent to work with electrical and mechanical machinery and will be able to work independently. Within Jaguar Land rover, there are numerous training opportunities made available to both apprentices and tradesmen. I have completed training courses in; first aid, manual handling, safe working in confined spaces, harness training and safe use of power presses. I will have the opportunity to attend a range of training courses, throughout my time at Jaguar, even when I have come out of my time as an apprentice.

The apprentice programme at Jaguar is known to be one of the best. I am thoroughly enjoying my time here and truly believe that the college course we complete is relevant to the job role that I am in. The team that I work with are friendly and helpful and always willing to assist me in tasks that have been set. I am really enjoying the programme so far and cannot wait to progress further into my career.

i do feel like a values member of the team. The stage I am at now means that I am able to complete/aid in tasks much more and help out the tradesmen (lowering their workload whilst increasing my training/knowledge). There are different tasks and projects that I have been involved in - as requested by supervision. Whilst carrying out these tasks, it was made clear that the tradesmen were very grateful for the help that they received.

The induction to the programme was well structured, we were given the information with enough time to prepare and know where we needed to go. The first week induction gave us an insight into the different job roles, which allowed us to choose which route we wanted to go down. Training opportunities are endless at Jaguar and my training manager and supervisors have been working together to ensure that I can attend a high number of courses. I meet with my training manager and supervisor every 10-12 weeks to look at the progress I have made, see what I am doing well at and where I need to improve. I find these meetings really useful as I know what I need to improve on and am also able to talk about any issues I may have.

The college tutors are extremely helpful and offer a high level of support. They are easily contactable via e-mail and I have found that I get a reply back within a few days of e-mailing them. I found that the teaching styles suit me perfectly and allow me to gain the most knowledge and understanding from lessons. I have enjoyed the college course so far - some lessons more than others - but overall I have found that the support given by tutors is excellent.

I do not have much communication with my manager - mostly with my supervisors. The support that I receive from them is brilliant. My supervisors will always make sure I am doing well and offer me course opportunities to improve my skills. I feel I am able to go to them with any problems I have and will always receive the relevant information from them.

I live at home at the moment so I don't have to worry too much about living costs. The salary that I receive is more than enough to cover my transport, social costs, savings and then have some left over. The salary that I receive as an apprentice is more than I imagined - we receive a pay rise every six months.

There are a few opportunities outside of work. I attended a careers event, located in a school, where I spoke to the students about Jaguar and why a career at Jaguar could be suitable for them. Jaguar offers an employee learning scheme where they will put a certain amount of money to different activities - these include training courses and teamwork. Before working at Jaguar, I completed a different apprenticeship in IT and the differences between the two apprenticeship schemes are very clear.

Yes

I have recommended Jaguar to a number of friends because of the amount of possibilities that are made available to you. I really believe that the apprenticeship I am in now, will lead into a long time career with Jaguar.

The advice that I would give to others applying to Jaguar would be; firstly to take their time when completing the application forms. The answers may seem long, but it is important to make sure you have applied the relevant information to your answer. Also, I would give a variety of examples (they don't all have to relate to engineering) as this shows different skills and hobbies that a person may have. The assessment days can seem a little daunting, but my advice would be to be confident and make sure you participate as much as possible in group activities. Before starting at Jaguar I would have liked to have been told more information about the different shift patterns that I would eventually be completing.