Apprentice Engineer Review

I am an engineering apprentice, learning to become a fully qualified mechanical engineer. I currently strip and rebuild turbochargers and test them on test cells.

I have learnt how to use lots of machines such as lathes, milling machines and CNC machines, etc. I have learnt the ins and outs of the components in a turbo and an engine and how they both work in detail. I am also learning how to operate the test cells which runs the tests on the turbos and engines. I have got my BTEC level 2 in Mechanical Engineering.

In the department I am in currently, there is lots of variety so it keeps the work quite interesting. The team are good to work with they are helpful whenever I need it. There was a lot more college work to do for the apprenticeship than I expected meaning it can get stressful sometimes.

I feel valued when a manager trusts me to handle a job by myself rather than make me watch someone else work. I feel valued when I hear feedback from a manager from when I had worked in their department saying that they were happy with how well I worked.

I think overall the programme is structured well and we get good idea of how each department in the company runs as we rotate around them. We get a lot of support from work and free time to do our college work which is a big help I think. It is good that we are rotated mainly around departments which they expect us to be in at the end of the apprenticeship.

My training provider always provides as much support as possible and is always around to give me a hand or answer questions. She is very easy to approach and I feel like I could go to her with any problem and she would give help. Such good support makes the apprenticeship much easier to get through.

In each department I have worked in, I have felt like the manager is helpful with queries I may have. I sometimes feel like I am annoying managers when they have to find me someone to work with or something to do each day as I am not experienced enough to work completely by myself yet.

I think the salary is good for an apprentice wage and is enough to keep me in pocket each month. I have no complaints about the salary as it is enough to fund my living costs with money to spare.

There is a sports and social club which provide lots of available trips, holidays and experiences to employees all the time. There are company events to try and get younger generations interested in the programme for future years. Before I began working I went to college to get my A Levels.

Yes

The salary is very good and the company really looks after its employees well. They are really good at going by the books and not cutting corners at work. I can see myself working at Cummins for most of my life.

Research what the company does and its values to impress interviewers. Make sure that the employers understand how interested you actually are in the job. Make sure that you are actually interested in Engineering.