ENGINEERING DEGREE APPRENTICE Review

For the Engineering Degree Apprentice I spend one day a week studying my degree and learning about engineering practically and theoretically. Whilst in work four days a week I am involved as part of a team which partake in rotations around the different sectors within the company (Systems, Software and Hardware) to further our understanding practically.

I have learned many new skills, especially soft skills which help you to understand the formation of a team and how a team works. You have the opportunity to complete an ILM leadership course. You complete your BEng degree, NVQ L4 and PEO L2 . All of this helps you to become a better all round engineer.

The programme helps develops you massively. You learn so much and gain lots of experience in a number of areas. It has been really enjoyable meeting lots of new people. However it is very challenging, you have to manage your time effectively and juggle many tasks at once which can become quite stressful.

The apprenticeship is coming into its 10th year and it has at rack record of producing brilliant engineers in the business. The structure itself is still similar but does change almost from one year to another in one shape or form. This can be a bit unclear at times but essentially the body of the scheme doesn't change too much.

GE are good at pushing you to become the best version of yourself. You are encouraged to participate in many events and be part of lots of extra-curricular activities. This can get stressful as the workload increases through the years. The comnpany try and support you as much as possible but sometimes they struggle due to the amount of people there are.

The training provider, Gloucestershire college is involved in your development from 1st year all the way to 5th year. There are quarterly meetings with a training co-coordinator to discuss your progress. The NVQ also runs through GlosCol and you spend the first 3 years of the degree with them on their campus.

You learn lots of fantastic new skills. However I wouldn't say all modules are entirely relevant to the work place, some are but most aren't. I suppose this could be said about most degrees. The PEO in 1st year helps bridge gaps for people coming in with little electronics experience.

There are so many extra-curricular activities. This could be participating at the Cheltenham science festival, RIAT or Farnborough airshow. There are lots of apprenticeship socials and activities in the evening such as netball and football. There are volunteering opportunities through the IET - who are heavily involved in the degree apprenticeship.

Yes

The company is huge with lots of opportunity to try different things. You could get involved in Aviation, Healthcare, Renewable energy. They have sites in many countries around the world and have lots of different customers. It is a diverse company who encourage you to personally develop yourself as much as possible.

Be yourself, be honest and relax. Any work experience is beneficial especially if it is aviation or engineering related. It is assumed everyone applying has the grades or has them predicted so what makes you stand out? Do some research on the scheme and the company. Don't be afraid to get in contact.