Apprentice Development Engineer Review

my role is an apprentice engineer in the Radio Frequency power division. i work in development and this involves looking at new and existing products and problem solving around issue that occur on the line and in the developmental stages of products life.

i have learnt many new skills so far with my apprenticeship including learning to use auto cad and model in 2D/3D. i have also learnt about how various devices work such as magnetrons and traveling wave tubes and finally have picked up practical skills that are used when building some of our products

i really enjoy my program and couldn't really ask for anything more. we learn, earn and have a full time job and i chose to turn down my 5 university offers once i was offered the apprenticeship as i can now get it funded through them.

i feel valued as we are intergrated into the business at an early stage and quickly get into positions where we can have direct impacts on the business.

the program is really structured. the first 6 months are spend at college doing PEO lvl 2 an then its 4 days a week on site and 1 day a week at college/uni doing my HNC/HND and beng Degree

at college the teaching support is there when we require it and is better out of college hours but in class it could be improved. i think this is a issue due to class size rather than them not wanting to give support though.

we get all of the support we require from work in terms of if we are struggling there are many people we can talk to that have already been through the process.

i dont really have many costs because i live 3 miles from work and just have one day comute to college. the only negative is that we have to make our own way there and the fuel costs are not funded by the company. for me this is a 100 mile round trip but they have since moved the new intake to a more local college

there are company events we can attend like annual golf days and bowling competitions as well as a good community of apprentices so we all go out together regularly.

Yes

you cannot get more from an employer in terms of getting paid a competitive salary, 5 years work experience under your belt, a degree and be integrated into a business to have all of the foundations you need for a stable career anywhere else. all of your uni fees are funded and you get paid to go- it was a no brainer for me.

when applying just remember that it is just as much about seeing if you would like to work for the company as it is for them to see if they wish to employ you. stay calm relax and remember that the more experience you get with both work and interviews the better candidate you will be.