Rating
- 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
- 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
- 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
- 4. How valued do you feel by JLR?
- 5. How well organised/structured is your programme?
- 6a. How much support do you receive from your training provider?
- 6b. How much support do you receive from your employer?
- 7. How well does your salary/package meet your costs?
- 8. Are there many opportunities outside of work?
- 9. Would you recommend JLR to a friend?
- 9b. Why?
- 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to JLR?
My role currently is as a full time student in college, learning the foundation basics of engineering- gaining hands on experience in the workshop (welding, fitting, milling, turning, assembly and engine building) whilst also studying engineering maths and other useful academic skills. My job role in the near future will be a body engineer and will involve using CAD software. I am currently being trained on this when we have site visit weeks when not in college.
Yes I have learnt new practical skills such as building and testing an engine, fitting and assembly skills, and metalwork such as milling and turning. This is at an NVQ level. I am also currently studying at a higher level, for a foundation degree level. We have been placed on CAD training courses already to prepare us for work.
I would say that I enjoy the programme more when it is stimulating and when I feel more a part of the company when working on site and training for my role. However the college can be quite tedious and disorganised, often not helping morale and it takes away from the initial drive and passion you first start with as an apprentice.
I feel very valued as I appreciate the amount of funding that has gone into every individual apprentice and the training opportunities that are sought out for us to pursue. I understand that JLR are out to make every apprentice up to the world class standard that they expect and they definitely value the work that the apprentices do when they contribute in plant.
The long term programme set out by the company is fully organised and we know what to expect. However, the firsts year in college has not been well organised at all and due to poor timetabling with an intense block learning system, this has affected the learning and the workload has been challenging at times.
As a whole the training provide (college) gives good support through a class tutor and a work based learning manager and they are always approachable on any matter or issue. However when support is needed in certain subjects, there is a struggle for staff to attend to everyone and sometimes apprentices have not been given the support they need immediately.
JLR often hold meetings and reviews to find out how apprentices feel their training is going and in this sense they are very supportive and strive to make improvements, and always revisit this and give feedback. They also hold individual 1:1 meetings with line manager to assess how you are getting on.
My salary is sufficient for my living costs and helps me save too.
So far there haven't been any opportunities for first year apprentices however we are aware that there are company events and activities we can get involved in when we are more integrated inside the company, especially team improvement circles. JLR also offer an employee learner scheme which allows you to have funding to learn an extra curricular skill outside of work which is appreciated and used by many.
Yes
It is a brilliant company that will equip you with a good education and hands on experience in the world of automotive engineering, as well as leadership skills and life skills. It looks after their employees and is constantly eager to improve in every way. It offers many opportunities to learn new skills and values the contribution of every individual.
Ensure you are able to meet the initial academic requirements and make sure to look over the company's principles and traits they aspire to have in their employees, and try to demonstrate the characteristics they are looking for when attending assessment days. These are outlined on the recruitment website and are key things to look out for. It helps if you have previous engineering experience however it is not necessary.
Details
Degree Apprenticeship
Engineering
West Midlands
April 2018