CAD Designer Review

My role as a CAD designer in body engineering requires me to carry out a range of activities from CAD modeling and rendering to vehicle benchmarking. I have to meet with senior engineers to find requirements for the part I am designing and have to meet deadlines such as weekly reviews and 1 to 1 meetings.

I have been sent on many training courses by the company and also applied to some on my own. These courses include CAD, technical report writing and metallurgy. This extensive training has added many skills to my skillset and developed some existing ones such as clear communication during presentations, teamwork and mainly CAD.

I enjoy the programme very much because I am always doing different things. So far I have developed my practical skills in the workshop with modules such as CNC, engine build and turning. I have also met many nice people such as colleagues and lecturers who have helped me develop as an engineer.

I feel as if I am valued in the company because my manager is always interested in my academic performance and stresses its importance. I am given responsibility for important tasks that contribute to departmental goals and feel as if I make a difference to the company. I also have a laptop.

The programme is well structured and makes a good divide between academic and work based activities. Being only in the second year, I have not yet experienced the university part of the course. The foundation degree part of the course has been well structured and the work has been clearly laid out.

I receive a good amount of support from the training provider. The lecturers have a good teaching style and are happy to answer any questions during lessons or via email if help is needed when not at college. They also check up on how we are doing weekly to ensure we are ready for assignments or tests.

I receive a lot of support from the company to help me settle into my job role as well as to aid my development. The support comes in the form of weekly meeting and reviews as well as various trackers or documents such as the logbook to track progress and ensure we are always being challenged.

The salary and regular increases meet my costs very well. I am paid enough to live away from home, own a car and engage in commitments such as the gym and sports activities. Above this, I engage in social activities such as going out with friends and save money every month.

There are opportunities to do many things outside of work. I am able to go out with friends to social events, regularly play sports and exercise as well as keep up my personal hobbies such as playing the piano. There are chances to do many things such as going to car shows locally.

Yes

Jaguar Land Rover are a very rewarding company to work for, especially the apprenticeship course. The job is very interesting and the academic side is challenging. There are many opportunities with work and outside of it. The course is well paid and the local area is very nice. There is never a boring moment.

When applying, it is very important to know the two brands very well. Read the websites and find out how the respective brands are represented and what they are about. Be confident talking to more senior people and ensure you do your research. Practice interview techniques as well as teamwork. This is very important!