Engineering Technician Apprentice Review

As a technician engineer, I move around placements every 16 weeks, which means that every four months I work in a new department working on new tasks. On a day to day basis I can be working on documents, in meetings or more hands on work. I am currently on a craft placement which means that I am working directly on the aircraft. Some tasks I have enjoyed however some I do feel have not been as worthwhile.

So far I have got my level two peo units in engineering. I have also taken part in a lean learning course where I learnt about efficiency in the workplace. I have also taken part in a CATIA course. On a personal level I have developed my confidence in many aspects from presentations to meeting new people. I have also become more organised and efficient.

Some of the work I have completed so far has been worthwhile and I have enjoyed it. However there have been aspects that have been monotonous and not enjoyable. So far, the teams that I have worked in have helped encourage my development. I am not enjoying my current placement as it is not the sort of work I aim to be doing in the future. Hopefully my next placement will be more enjoyable.

I feel very valued by my assessor who is always there to help no matter what the issue, whether it be work or more personal related. I have had the opportunity to get involved with enrichment activities which have also enabled me to feel valued. however I do feel like the training side often have favourites who are better at the work and this is obvious to the other apprentices. I feel there should be more recognition opportunities given for people completing smaller tasks.

The initial induction to the apprenticeship was well structured and good. however following on from this, the start to the training was very disjointed and took a long time to get settled in. College is also not the best as the teachers could be improved and the structures to the lessons mean that you don't get the best out of the learning. within the placements, organisation can vary depending on the team.

I receive a lot of support from my assessor for personal and work related issues, NVQ work and any other queries I have. They respond quickly to emails and arrange meetings to suit you. however, from higher up in the hierarchy, emails are scarcely responded to in an appropriate time and issues often remain unresolved for longer periods of time.

As previously mentioned, the HR team are often slow with replies to email queries and issues remain unresolved. within the placements, support from managers and supervisors varies depending on the department and team and the atmosphere of the placement itself. generally feel supported from the company however there are certain areas that do require some improvement.

I think the pay meets my costs as after paying board, and for my car, I am able to put money away in savings and have money left over. as I live in between two of the sites, I am able to travel to both sites with ease, without incurring too many extra costs. however, if I was to move out soon, which is the plan, do not feel that the pay would meet the requirements as I would have rent/ car insurance/ finance and bills to pay for. therefore, this should be taken into consideration.

recently, I have been involved in many school and apprentice events where I have been able to talk to younger people about the apprenticeships. I am also going on a German exchange with work where I will work in Germany for three weeks, as well as being able to do some site seeing. before starting here, I was working part time and also going to college so rarely had any free time. this is one thing that I like about the apprenticeship.

Yes

although some of the aspects of my apprenticeship I have not enjoyed, there have been many enjoyable things that I have taken part in. there are many different apprenticeship opportunities within the company and through moving round the company on placements, you can see many different departments and decide which area is going to be best for you and what you'd enjoy doing most.

Make sure you take your time when completing the application form, make sure that what you are saying is true as you may be asked about it in your interview. for the interview, do your research about the company, find out what we have done in the past, what we are doing now and any future plans and contracts we have. even if you are not successful the first time you apply, don't give up and apply again.