Project Engineer Review

I am a Project Engineer, monitoring the progress of aircraft within the Final Assembly facility from a schedule and cost perspective. I regularly interact with senior management and stakeholders in the manufacturing platform. I have a number of responsibilities including challenging and measuring schedule and cost performance of the teams and collating information and figures for regular reviews.

I have developed many skills in my role. I have attended a number of courses, including Human Factors and Lean Learning. I have improved my communication and IT skills as well as gaining understanding of the company and its products. I have also undertaken a number of courses via the Apprentice Training Centre, including First Aid, Fire Awareness, IT Security. This is in addition to the qualifications I have achieved; Customer Service, Project Management and Business and Administration NVQ Level 3.

I really enjoy the programme as a whole. Every aspect of my time with the company and the scheme has exceeded my expectations. The team I work with were extremely welcoming and they are always willing to help me when I need it and very supportive of the work I do for the Apprenticeship programme.

I feel values by the company, particularly for the work I do to promote Apprenticeships. I believe there are good processes in place to recognise and reward good work. There are a number of great opportunities given to Apprentices by the company, which I make the most of. These are great for Apprentices because they enable us to see other parts of the business and represent the company.

The programme is very structured; the assessors at the Training Centre hold reviews every 12 weeks and are always there to offer support or answer any queries. As well as the reviews, they also visit Apprentices to assess the NVQ work and provide help/advice when needed.

The Training Centre staff are always willing to help with anything. They are supportive with the NVQ qualifications and encourage Apprentices to take part in extra activites such as recruitment events, German Exchange, Apprentice Innovation Challenge amongst others. The accessibility of the training centre is very good, there is always someone on the end of the phone to contact when needed and they will ensure they support you.

My Manager is very supportive. I have taken part in a number of extra commitments during my time here and my Manager and the team I work in are very supportive of this. They encourage me to take part in these activites as they know it is beneficial for my development, and always cover my work for me when I am out of the office due to these events. The accessibility of support great, my Manager is very approachable and will offer guidance and advice often.

The salary meets my living and travel costs, as I don't live far from work it does not cost me much to travel. The staggered pay increases are reasonable and they leave me with disposable income.

I have taken part in many company events outside of work, included attending awards evenings, recruitment events and speaking about the Apprenticeships to school aged children who need advice for the next step after school/college. There are also leisure and sports clubs available to join.

Yes

I am throughly enjoying my time at BAE Systems as an Apprentice. The opportunites presented to Apprentices are excellent and the support from the Training Centre and my immediate team has been very good. I would definitely recommend the Apprenticeship to others, because as well as learning and gaining work experience, you are earning money at the same time.

I would encourage people hoping to gaing an Apprenticeship with BAE Systems to learn as much as you can about the company, this will give a good foundation knowledge and also prove useful at interview. I would also advise to embrace as many opportunities offered to you as you can. There are so many extra activies you can take part in, and ultimately it will help you to network with people, but also ensure that people know who you are.