Apprentice Wind Turbine Technician Review

Day to day roles include working as part of a three man team to diagnose and repair faults on the wind turbines, completing annual services, and working towards completion of a maintenance technician portfolio. Every morning begins with a toolbox talk where general safety issues are addressed and jobs are assigned for the day. Eventually you will be expected to carry out a toolbox talk yourself to show that you are able to lead a team.

In the space of two years, I have acquired many skills that are useful in both professional and personal situations. Some of the skills that I have learned have practical applications, such as how to use tools, how to wire circuits and create electronic controller programs, and how to interpret electrical and hydraulic diagrams to aid with fault finding. Other skills that I have picked up are also useful in everyday life, such as leadership and team building skills.

The apprenticeship so far has exceeded all of my initial expectations. The college section of the apprenticeship was delivered very well and I always felt like my time was spent learning something new and useful. There were also times where we would be taken out of college for training or extracurricular activities, which helped to break up the course and keep things interesting. The site based section of the apprenticeship has been even better. It has gave me a chance to apply the skills that I learned in college in real life scenarios and learn even more.

The structure of the program is made very clear from the beginning. We were always informed of what we would be doing at the various stages of he apprenticeship. The first two years are based at college, followed by two years of on site experience where you work through a portfolio.

This is probably the area that is lacking the most in the apprenticeship. The support system is in place, but it’s not always the most efficient and at times it feels like issues take a while to be resolved. This can be frustrating at times, especially when the issues take weeks to be resolved and hold you back from progressing.

The college was exceptional at providing support when progressing through the course. Extra support was provided on demand if required and the lecturers would always go above and beyond to make sure that you understood everything. There were even times that they would take extra time after the college day had finished to provide support to those who were struggling.

A lot of the skills that were learned in college are applicable in the job role. Some of the topics could be covered in more depth, whilst others are not entirely useful, but overall the practical skills that you learn in the second year of the course prove very useful in the day to day aspect of the job.

Whilst at college, there were various extracurricular activities that we took part in to build team morale. This included Christmas nights out, team dinners and team building exercises. The majority of the extracurricular activities were done at the very start of the apprenticeship and then they dropped off. I feel like it would have been beneficial if these had continued on for the remainder of the apprenticeship. As far as I am aware, there is an Annual works night out whilst on site.

Yes

Siemens is a great employer to work for as they provide a solid training scheme and have the necessary support systems in place should you require help. They provide all of the equipment and training that you will require throughout your apprenticeship. Overall, my job satisfaction has been very high and I would recommend Siemens to those that are interested in a career in the wind industry.

Think of the for values that Siemens are looking for when you are applying. The main things that come to mind are; teamwork, leadership and having a safe working mindset. If you can demonstrate that you can work well as part of a team, as well as lead one when required, then this will be highly valued by the recruiters. Safety is the highest priority at Siemens, and if you can show that you are responsible and willing to work safely then this will also be very highly regarded.