Smart energy expert Review

I am a smart meter engineer. This involves travelling to customer homes to fit smart meters. In the academy my day involves either learning theory in a classroom setting or practical workshop experience.

Yes. I have learned a lot of useful information and developed skills that I need in order to complete my job. Skills I have learned include the fitting of meters involving pipework and electric wiring. I have further developed existing skills such as working with tools and time management.

I enjoyed the apprenticeship alot and feel it has given me a great opportunity to progress in my career. I felt the programme was well structured and contained a comprehensive amount of information and training

I am still unsure about my overall value to British gas. I definitely feel valued by my direct manager and team however I think time will only tell if the company as a whole values me. I do not think however that anything would change this until I have worked for the company for a longer period of time.

The programme was well structured with a clearly set out timetable of what was going to take place over the course. There did feel like there were times where time was under utilised and I felt like we could have been doing more but over all I developed what I needed to in the time given.

I received alot of support throughout the programme and there was always someone available to help or give further information. On several occasions though we had times where the person taking our group was unable to support me as other members of our group were in assessments or exams however this was more for self directed study or revision and if I needed to I could have found help from elsewhere

I feel like I received enough support from my employer and there is always someone available to help. There are several ways to get hold of people such as email, online, over the phone and at meetings

While I was in the early stages of my apprenticeship I struggled with the pay as it was quite low. However it quickly raised to the level I was on prior to employment with British gas. It has increased substantially now to a point where it was definitely worth the difficulty few months

I feel that there could be more opportunities however with being a mobile field worker I understand that this is difficult as things like that are usually located at the company buildings.

Yes

I feel British gas is a fantastic company and has given me a great opportunity for a career that I hope will last.

Do as much research as possible before deciding if it is the right career path for you. It is ideal if you like working solo and managing yourself however if you want someone to be directing your day it isn't for you