Product Design Engineer Review

Product Design Engineer in the Body Engineering department: First year has involved attending Warwick Trident College every day except when the college is closed for normal school holidays when we are based in plant doing induction as well as training exercises. No work related responsibilities in the first year.

I have learnt many hands-on manufacturing skills in the college. We have used milling machines, lathes, CNC machines, stripped engines as well as been involved in project planning in order to be ready to start work in the plant next year. We have been given an intense training course in CATIA V6 which has massively improved on the skills that we had otherwise learnt in college.

Although the long days can sometimes prove to be tedious, the programme is fairly enjoyable. The high wages make the months seem worth it as well as the skills and qualifications that we will be gaining. The first year of the programme seems to be a bit slow due to the fact that we are in college rather than actually contributing to the business but I am sure this will improve in due course.

Having been placed in college predominantly through this first year, it does not feel like I am really part of Jaguar Land Rover, bar the branded uniform and the infrequent talks delivered by JLR staff. During the first couple of weeks when we were at the plant, we were placed in a conference room at the British Motor Museum which felt like we were just brushed to the side however feedback was given and this has been acted upon.

There is a set 6-year structure to the programme; JLR and the college liaise very closely in order for us to make the most of our time at college. The first year is full time college, the second year is one day college and four days plant per week, years 3 onwards involve attending Warwick University one week out of every 6 with the rest of the time spent in plant.

The training provider (currently the college in first year) provide plenty of support from both the JLR services in the college as well as the college services themselves. The staff are always on hand to help with any issues and there are signs all around the college offering help including financial advice, legal advice and mental health help.

After visiting JLR Whitley for a training course, I saw a mental health booth where you can talk to someone in private regarding mental health. There is also a lot of help from the JLR representatives in the college who act as the work based learning managers. They offer the same as the staff in the college and will often liaise with managers regarding issues.

The salary package is very substantial and can be easily budgeted along with plenty of money to spare. The payrises every 6 months mean that the salary is always greatly increasing meaning that I can increase my costs such as a nicer house/car and still be able to save money.

Anything outside of work isn't really talked about much whilst at college. Everything is confined within our paid hours and nothing more. When in plant, there is a chance to have a skill based activity paid for by JLR up to £200. The employee learner scheme is for activities including learning to drive, cooking courses, anything that involves learning something new.

Yes

It is an intense programme however the opportunity to have a degree paid for as well as numerous other qualifications, working for a world renowned company and also the benefits that are gained from working for JLR including the salary and discounts on the cars mean that the programme is unrivalled.

Look into the departments. Don't choose a department just because it looks good on the outside. The best idea is research the departments heavily so that you can maximise your skill set and also benefit the company more in the future whilst enjoying your job.