Advanced Apprentice Review

We come in in the morning and ensure everything is clean and tidy ready for the working day ahead. Any handover notes from the previous shift should be looked through and any problems or actions should be solved. Speak to anybody that may be needed and carry on with the job ahead for the day. I enjoy coming to work. At the moment I am currently undergoing placements meaning I don't have one set job role, I move around every couple of weeks to gain a greater understanding of what goes on in the company and in different departments.

I have developed many new skills and also improved on existing skills. I have completed many internal training courses such as driving tests that allow me to drive on site, stringo test which allows me to move around cars without the need for the engine to be on and many more. I have also improved my communication and presentation skills significantly and feel a lot more confident speaking to people whether it just be 1 to 1 or infront of a crowd. I have learnt how to use machines such as turning lathes, milling machines and also pillar drills.

I extremely enjoy my apprenticeship program and would recommend it to anyone. I joined at 16 (straight from GCSE's) and I am so glad that I did. I have met a lot of new people that I actually consider mates and get to enjoy the experience with them. I enjoy coming to work and look forward to jobs that I need to complete. At work, the job varies everyday so I am always doing something different meaning it is never the same old boring stuff constantly.

The apprenticeship program is extremely well structured. We had a 3 week induction which involved presentations and hands on activities at the Ricoh arena which introduced us to the company. We then had an induction week at college to see what we would be doing for the next 3 years at college and what we could expect. We also had a weeks induction at plant which introduced us to working life and what we would be doing during our apprenticeship outside of college. Each group of apprentices have a work based learning manager who we can go to for any questions or help about college and/or work. We have enough time to study and complete assignments for college. Overall, it is well structured.

I receive a lot of support from my employer as a whole. My manager is very involved in both my time at work and my time at college. He knows what is going on at college and work. Because I am not based in one work place, I do placements across two different sites and have different supervisors depending on the area I am in. My manager has put together a schedule for each year and planned out where and when I will go to a placement. The HR team are always available to contact via email or raising a ticket online. Overall, I am well supported in my apprenticeship.

My college are quite helpful and I do recieve a fair bit of support while working towards my qualification. During my first year, I was in college full time and I received constant support from most of my teachers in most subjects. While completing practical work such as fitting, milling, turning and in the vehicle workshop, the support from the teachers was extremely helpful. They were always willing to help and always listened to any questions as they were able to understand that I was new to all of this. I enjoyed college and now have college on day release each week.

During my time at college in the first year, I completed foundation competencies. This helped me significantly fit right in at work as it enabled me to familiarise myself with processes, tools, equipment and machines. The things I have learnt at college really help me on a day to day basis at work. The things I have learnt about materials, engines, cars in general and even some maths work can easily be put in to practice at any time during work. I feel like I know a significant amount more about my job and industry since I started my qualification.

There are many extra curricular activities to get involved in at work. CSR events can be attended at places like schools or village halls to talk about and promote the company. I have been to one myself where I represented JLR at a secondary school to encourage young people to get an apprenticeship and to guide people who were interested. JLR also offer the ELS (employee learning scheme) where they give an employee £250 per year to spend on an extra curricular activity that can range from driving lessons to sky diving to skiing or anything. I am currently a part of a JLR football team who are in a league of 20 company football teams. We play in a charity league but it is great fun and has given me a chance to meet a lot of other people.

Yes

Jaguar Land Rover is a massive company and an extremely good environment to work in. There are hundreds of different job roles that you can apply for and as many as 8 different sites that you can work at. It is extremely interesting and no day is the same as any different job can come about any day. I enjoy working for jaguar land rover as it is a great job who also pay very well especially for an apprentice.

I would recommend applying to Jaguar land rover. The advice I would give is to be yourself and be confident. The application process is challenging but very rewarding. Take the time to complete the online tests and don't rush them. The advice I would give for interviews and assessment days is to stand out and become a leader, don't agree with everything others say just for the sake of it. Take charge in group activities and speak your mind if you disagree with anything.