E/I Engineering Apprentice Review

My role involves me having to attend a college Monday-Friday. During the week I will complete practical and theoretical tasks associated with electrical/electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics, PLC's, control aspects and some mechanical. One day a week I am required to study a level 3 BTEC qualification in engineering, this qualification can move to a HNC in the future.

I have developed skills associated with electrical/electronics, pneumatics, hydraulics, control aspects. These are skills that I did not have before and I have been able to continuously improve them by completing practical tasks on a daily basis. Also I have been able to improve my team work skills, communication and confidence.

So far the program has been great. There is an even mixture of theory based lessons and practical based lessons. You also receive any support that you need. The company checks up to see if everything is okay at least once a month. I am enjoying learning new skills that I did not have before.

The program is structured well. The 1st year is spent at a college provider, here you will complete a level 2 PEO and Level 3 BTEC. For the remaining 3 years I will attend college/university once a week to complete a HNC and possibly a degree in the future.

My employer is very supportive in everything that we do. We keep in contact frequently to ensure that things are going well. Also we have monthly meet ups with the line manager. The line manager ensures that everything is going well, they ask if they can do anything to make our experience better.

The training provider is supportive, they help me whenever I require assistance. They ensure that we have all of the adequate information required to allow us to complete the qualifications. They also ensure that everything is understood on a particular subject before moving onto the next part, this helps with getting the higher marks in assignments.

The qualification allows me to understand the theory associated with the task before undergoing the practical side of it. It enables me to understand the health and safety risks associated with the task. The knowledge I have gained from the theory qualifications help me to perform in a safe manner.

There are a number of STEM events that are put on throughout the year and we can attend these if we want to. Also during the first year of the apprenticeship we attended an event in Stevenage that allowed us to meet all of the other first year apprentices across the country.

Yes

I would recommend GSK because they are a great company to work for. The apprenticeship scheme that they offer allows you to work to high level qualification whilst also learning practical skills. The company are very supportive and are there every step of the way and they are always open to any positive or negative feedback.

I would advise you to research the company really well. Make sure that you stand out from others, possibly by having work experience associated with the role. I would also ensure that you have planned any interviews really well by using the STAR method. This is useful when structuring interview answers.