HVAC Design Engineer Review

I am currently working as a HVAC Design Engineer. Day to day I currently work designing heating and ventilation systems across all classes of ships within the Royal Navy. This means I have to use 3D modelling software called Autodesk Inventor as well as AutoCAD. I am also required to head out on ship to investigate duct work that may require fixing or altering.

In my final role I have learnt a great deal about 3D modelling and design work as a whole. I am not fully efficient in using the software however I am learning more everyday due to the help from those also working within my department.

Now that I have a final placement I am very much enjoying the programme. I have been paid to learn and gained several qualifications in my time. Throughout my apprenticeship however there has been some placements which I haven't enjoyed quite so much. This is because the roles weren't suited to me or what I actually wanted to do with my career. Some placements were strictly office bound and did not allow me to work on board ship which is one of the main reasons I wanted to work within the dockyard.

Again throughout my apprenticeship I have had some ups and downs as some roles I didn't feel suited me specifically. Office based jobs that were solely looking at spread sheets weren't my cup of tea per say. However now that I am working for a department that is providing me with interesting work I feel like my job role is more significant.

Due to my cohort 'the 2013 intake' being the first year of 18 apprentices being employed I think the structure was relatively hit and miss. However as the years have gone on it has only improved, and therefore from my view it is now relatively well organised.

Support was solely dependant on where I was based within my placements. Some placements hardly recognise that you are there and offer minimal help or training. This I believe is highly dependant on the departments view on apprentices and the necessity to encourage the utilisation of them. As for example my final role is very much helpful in ensuring we are well trained in order to carry out the jobs.

As stated previously I currently receive a great deal of support from my department whom essentially have ensured I am SQEP for my job. My technical advisor has helped me to hand in my NVQ portfolio on time. My apprenticeship manager has changed four times throughout my apprenticeship which wasn't ideal however it hasn't really affected me personally.

I've generally had no issues with our apprenticeship salaries as a whole however I do live at home with my dad. For those in my year who have moved to this area and live on there own have all struggled within the first two years as the salary wasn't exactly the best. Now that our apprenticeship has evolved into the higher apprenticeship the salary has shot up considerably. This was a bit of a disappointment as essentially myself and the rest of my cohort have missed out on around £8000-£10000 over the past three years.

We have had a weeks outward bound experience which a good experience. There has been STEM events offered to myself, however that hasn't really been of interest to me. Within my current role there is the opportunity to work away from PNB however I will wait till I am more experienced before I volunteer to do so.

Yes

I would recommend BAE systems as they are a good company to work for. Being paid to learn as well as gaining the qualifications is always a plus. My only consideration was that they advertise the apprenticeship job roles more specifically as I personally was looking forward to using tools and being on board ship which isn't really this apprenticeship. However now I have settled into a more office based job I can see the added benefits from doing so.

Look into what apprenticeship you are looking for. The technical apprenticeship will end up with you working in an office with minimal roles actually allowing you to venture out into the dockyard. If a more physical hands on role is what you are looking for id look to the craft apprenticeship. Application is specific to yourself. Work hard and be yourself. The dockyard is an interesting place to work, you just have to find somewhere within it that suits you.