Technical Apprentice Review

on a day-to-day basis I am currently wrking in the structures team here at BAE Systems so I am analysing data from customer aircraft flights and creating spreadsheets and data tables to map results from these and to check for anomalies and problems. This is work that i really enjoy doing and it suited to my likes as i am interested in maths.

i have grown my skills on excel in the placement/department i am currently working in as we generate a lot of graphs and tables of data for different aircrafts. I have also improved on my communication skills and formal writing skills when i have to write official emails to customers.

i really enjoy my programme and the work i am currently doing in the structures department here at BAE Systems. I have come across a few other departments with work i have and also have not enjoyed as much however this whittles down my knowledge of where i want to end up at the end of my apprenticeship.

i feel really valued by the company here at Samlesbury since we are always welcome to ask questions and give feedback to our supervisors and we are always encouraged to do our best too. The company has definitely looked after me during my time here.

Really well organised, we are always updated with the information and told where our next department is well in advance of before we start there. We hardly have any problems during the programme and if we do encounter one it is usually resolved fairly quickly too.

i receive some support from my HNC tutors however in our first year HNC it was a bit unorganised with assignments and we only had maybe one session where we each individually sat down with our tutor and got advice from them. this year this has improved greatly based on feedback we gave.

i recieve loads of support from them! we could not have asked for someone better suited to look after us on a weekly basis. we typically have a couple of visits from our apprenticeship leader and they ask us how we are and if we need any help most weeks.

our salary for an apprentice is really good. For our first year we were on about full-time employee minimum wage for our age group (17/18) and now we are a bit older and more into the course we are on higher wages too so this is good for renting flats or hoping to get a mortgage in the near future!

I am part of a group called a 'STEM' (science, technology, engineering and maths) ambassadors where we invite different schools and help out at local career events to show what BAE Systems has to offer the younger generation and how engineering can be suited for everyone.

Yes

the company is really loyal to each apprentice and i cannot complain about any employee or supervisor i have worked with so far. i have had a great time and met lovely and friendly people too. i enjoy the varied work and i think it's a good way to get a start in a career.

to someone wanting to become an apprentice i think that they would need to know what type of apprentice they want (business, technical, software, craft etc.) and then get more information on an open day or careers event and then just go for it and apply. be yourself and show an interest in the company.