Degree Apprentice Review

As a first year apprentice I currently spend 5 days a week at college, where on the block scheme you spend 3 weeks doing higher education (maths/business/computer design/materials) then 6 weeks in the workshops, rotating through areas such as automotive, milling/turning/CNC/hand fitting, ultimately working towards a foundation degree. Within the workshop areas there are lots of things to learn and to keep me occupied which is a very good thing in my mind.

I have skills I never would have developed before, mainly practical skills such as a proficiency with milling machines/drill presses/saws & files, as well as the ability to remove and refit certain engine parts and understand wiring looms and how to wire up basic circuits. I have also learnt how to produce 3D models and corresponding drawings using CATIA software, something I wouldn't have been able to learn elsewhere

The college feels very much like you're still in a secondary school, but the time I have spent at Gaydon has been very enjoyable and my department have made me to feel very welcome. Fellow apprentices are all nice people with a diverse range of personalities for anyone to fit in with

Due to the fact this first year has all been at college, contact with my department is limited to college holiday times, but despite this they take lots of time when we are in Gaydon, and otherwise the apprentice team try to keep us up to date with JLR in general, and have regularly tried to get our feedback on how we feel the program is going so far, so we all definitely feel as though they value how we feel and our experience on the program.

On JLR's side, my department are always very organised and efficient when dealing with us, although gaining access to JLR aspects such as email and PeoplePortal is not guaranteed to be set up during the time you're in plant. The college is split; I have clear knowledge and understanding of what I need to know and am working towards in every department of workshop. Higher education, however, can be very disorganised, with it unclear who would be taking us sometimes when cover needs to be organised due to teacher absence, and in some cases the dates or times of assessments are very poorly communicated or knowledge between teachers isn't transferred. For example, our teacher was absent, so eventually we were put with another teacher who gave us a phase test with about one hour's notice, despite it being a recognisable portion of our grade for that module.

The vast majority of staff are more than happy to answer any questions I may have in both HE and workshop and try to make as many documents available on Google Classroom as they can, which is very useful. There is a generally helpful and constructive atmosphere from the teachers and staff at the college

The apprentice team seem very supportive and willing to ensure we're progressing well and I feel as though I could talk to them about any issues if I were to have them whilst on the apprenticeship. They are also very keen to hear about how we're doing at college and how we feel the program is going

I'm currently driving around 200 miles a week to and from college, living with parents and as such my salary is more than enough to cover fuel and costs such as drinking, as Wetherspoons in Leamington do very good prices on all kinds of relaxing beverage, including 2 pitchers for £12

Jaguar Land Rover run the Employee Learning Scheme, where they will fund courses up to £200 per year for employees, in any area you wish to choose, such as plastering, fly-fishing, antenatal or mole catching. This really helps employees to develop themselves outside of work and extension of it to apprentices really helps to make us all feel welcomed and part of the company

Yes

It's an opportunity to develop a set of skills that many people pay thousands of pounds to learn, but at Jaguar Land Rover on the apprenticeship you can instead make money and develop industry-specific and relevant skills. The company in my case is very welcoming and make us feel appreciated and have clear job roles lined up for us once we get to being at Gaydon full time

Have your application based more on practical experiences, your problem solving abilities and a coherent and strategic thought process should be evident; they're not particularly fussed about grades (entry grades CC), but instead on how you think and what your character is like. Assessment days aren't that bad once you're there, with all the assessors warm & welcoming