Higher Electrical Apprentice Review

I am a higher electrical apprentice and I am currently full time at college. I am completing my HNC and PEO at Trafford College. I then spend the half term times at work completing college work or shadowing other apprentices. I am currently not completing any projects but will start to complete them as of next year. I am starting work placements in July as well which I am really looking forward to.

I have almost gained a PEO qualification and will have by august. I have gained a lot of electrical knowledge in my HNC lessons and a lot of hands on experience in my PEO. I have also gained a lot of confidence and people skills since starting my apprenticeship which has really improved me as a person.

I am really enjoying my programme and am looking forward to getting more involved with the company side once I am no longer based full time in college. It met my expectations and I will be able to get a better idea of what the company is like and what the full apprenticeship is going to involve.

I feel very valued from my manager but not from others within the company as I have not had the chance to meet many people due to my college placement. There is always opportunities to get involved in extra events as well which makes you feel more valued as a apprentice. When I did these events I did feel very useful and valued.

The programme itself very well organised from within the company. The training itself has issues due to the poor quality of some of the teaching alongside a very disorganised marking system that has no set times. This has improved in some areas when we have spoken about it but some areas still need improvement.

We receive mixed support depending on what tutor we are going to. Some are very helpful whereas some aren't helpful at all. It ca be very hard to find some of the teachers at college as they can be very busy and aren't in the staff room. There has been delays in getting our feedback from assignments off a lot of the tutors as well which has really made keeping track of progress very difficult.

We receive plenty of support from our employer. Regular meetings give us the chance to get any issues we have fixed and to make sure that things are going as well as they can be. He is always looking to improve so takes all comments on board and makes sure to do the most he can to fix the problems we may be having and to keep the scheme as good as possible.

The salary is very good especially at the age group we are working within. Travel costs aren't too bad as I don't commute that far. I think the amount of money the company spend on training makes the reduced pay compared to a full time worker very fair. Living costs are currently quite low but when I move out it could become slightly more difficult to manage money.

There are lost of opportunities available within and outside of the workplace. We are always pushed to get involved in things like apprenticeship fairs and awards and are always being given opportunities to get involved if we want to which I think is a very good thing as it makes you feel part of the company.

Yes

It is a very good company that treats its staff very well and can offer a lot. They give you the most they can to help your progression and if you are willing to learn new things and put the work in they will reward you accordingly.

Prepare as much as you can for your interview and be confident. The process is very informal and relaxed at the start so it isn't too harsh. Ask lots of questions and be keen to learn about the company and what they do. Make sure you ask a lot about the scheme to get a good idea of what it will entail.