Powertrain Degree Apprentice Review

As a first year apprentice, my role is college based with plant visits to my designated department mostly in the college holidays. The role involves investigating issues with a vehicles power train and passing this discovered information on to the relevant departments. This role involves a lot of vehicle interaction however this is not always the case in power train.

The college consists of both workshop based learning and more academic teaching in three week blocks. The teaching varies in quality more so than at school, the academic teaching particularly fails in developing skills and knowledge however this does help push you to be more prepared for university due to you being dependent on independent study. Your time in plant is where you particularly develop skills and knowledge because you spend time with people who are actually working in your selected role.

The first year at college is one which it is worth getting through due to how enjoyable plant is. There is not many jobs in which you will be paid the money you are and also have such a practical learning experience. You are immediately part of a family at JLR, the people around are very helpful and welcoming making it easy to fit in. The role is interesting and challenging and along as you have the overall goal of becoming a fully qualified engineer in mind, you will get through some of the negatives in the college side of things.

There is a clear plan in place of what your six years will consist of, however, from my experience of the first year, Warwickshire colleges organisation is poor. This is partially due i feel to the college and JLR being two separate entities and nobody really knowing who is in charge of what.

There is a range of support JLR offer, this is made clear to you from the start. Not many employers care about employees as much as JLR do. What ever you need support with I can assure you JLR will have something in place to provide you with whatever you may need.

Support is limited in terms of education however the college does still offer similar support in areas like mental health and addiction like JLR do. From speaking to apprentices further into the apprenticeship the support on an education side of things does improve the further you go on in the apprenticeship.

The final qualification will play a big part in my role, especially helping me have more background knowledge than other engineers. It may not always be easy to see how certain teaching benefits your selected role however there is links due to most of your teachers being past engineers who have worked in the field.

As an apprentice you can find you can isolate yourself if your not careful. In terms of social events this is down to yourself and friends to organize, you find a lot of teams in plant have social events you will be invited to allowing you to develop relationships at work.

Yes

This is a fantastic opportunity and one which should not be wasted. Do not let the negatives put you off, believe me the positives far outweigh the negatives. JLR are leading the way in the future of motor vehicles and its great to be apart of this future. Its also great to be believed in by such a big company which makes it well worthwhile.

As with most companies, communication can lack be prepared for this and also be prepared for a lot of independent learning. You should also be prepared for a practical and fun role with a bright future. When applying, be yourself, JLR want to invest in you show them your enthusiasm and capability.