Apprentice design engineer Review

Day to day this apprenticeship is based in college full time for the first year. this provides a foundation and both practical and theoretical skills. during half terms I am in the office and carrying out backbone tasks to help build my knowledge and help on projects while I am there

During this apprenticeship I have developed practical skills through wiring testing and hand fitting techniques which I had not used before. also I have learnt analytical techniques for the electrical circuits and distribution systems, and basic cad/inventor knowledge through the level 4 hnc which we take part in once a week

as with any college course there are days in which you feel like you are bored, however as this course is mostly new skills I can often find a way to enjoy learning new skills, and in half terms we spend time in siemens learning skills and programming which is very interesting.

for the first few weeks there was quite a lot of confusion within the college leading to us spending a lot of time trying to obtain id and correct registers, however when we spend time with the training provider they plan the days very well to teach us new skills, however when in the workplace the work and tasks are often unstructured.

due to the nature of the course, there is not much contact from our employers for the first year. this means that we do not need much support, however they often do say that if we need more time for assignments we can ask and they will try to support our needs

the training provider is extremely supporting and always come in to the college to discuss issues we have, and follow any issues up to ensure that we get the best experience and are always able to learn to the best of our abilities, this leads to all of us on the course getting more out of it

the qualification so far has not provided much help in the workplace as the work that the company I work for does is not directly related, however I am assured that as the work gets harder in college and I start to understand my role better, the skills I have learnt will become more relevant

in the workplace so far I have seen that there has been an arranged snowden walk with a group of employees. also often there are professional networking opportunities when suppliers come in and provide a 'lunch and learn' lecture, also we get suppliers in to do a product showcase occasionally

No

even though the course Is a very good opportunity, the job in which I applied for is completely different to what im working in now, and if the application process was clearer my decision to apply may have been different. so I sometimes feel that my choice to not go to university was a mistake

ensure that you do some work placement experience to ensure that the job you end up with is definitely what you are expecting. also to ensure that any sacrifices you make for the apprenticeship (such as university) are not going to be regretted due to you ending up in a different role to what you expected