Rating
- 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
- 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
- 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
- 4. How well organised/structured is your programme?
- 5. How much support do you receive from your employer?
- 6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
- 7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
- 8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
- 9a. Would you recommend Cadent Gas to a friend?
- 9b. Why?
- 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Cadent Gas?
My role with Cadent is ‘First call operative’ this involves responding to different situations. This role involves being the first responder on site and escalating the job as appropriate or dealing with it there and then. When you are not learning the job out on patch with your mentor you are normally in training learning different subjects and gaining knowledge that will help you’ve competent with the role.
During my time so far with Cadent I have learned a lot of new skills. For example I am now much better when it comes to building things. I am now much more switched on when it comes to being hands on. I have also developed my customer service skills and feel as if the apprenticeship has helped me to be more mature.
The programme has been good so far, the courses are planned a year in advance and you are able to plan your life around your training/time on patch. The internal trainers so far have been great and helped you settle into being an apprentice. The training is fun and allows you to learn skills and important information at the same time.
The programme is organised relatively well. During my time over the last 8 months there has only been one time where an external trainer was not booked in when they should have been. This was re booked for a later date and was easily fixed. There is a live and up to date plan for your training and patch time which allows you to work your holidays around the scheme.
I have regular reviews with my line manager and apprentice programme manager, this helps me to ensure I am going in the right direction and also set goals. I am able to contact either one of my managers as well as my manager on patch whenever it is necessary. Whenever I have had a question I have got an answer relatively quickly or I have been directed in the right direction.
My trainer is always willing to help me towards my qualification. The trainer regularly ensures we understand what is being delivered to us. We also get a lot of time to work on our practical skills with our trainer and get personal feedback that helps us to rectify any issues and become more competent ready for our assessments.
A majority of the skills I pick up I feel as if I learn on patch. I feel as if the training gives me the basic knowledge to understand what I do on patch. My time on patch has helped me to become more competent at my role and practise what I have been shown in training.
During my time at Cadent I have gone on an outward bounds trip that allowed me to meet other apprentices within Cadent that are learning different roles. This was a great trip as I now see these apprentices also learning their role on patch. This trip also helped me to bond with the apprentices I train with on a daily basis.
Yes
Cadent has been a good company to do my apprenticeship with so far. The people within the company are all friendly and are always willing to help you. The programme has been well organised so far and the training has been fun and also educational. The only issue with Cadent at the moment is the amount of change of terms and pay for when you pass the apprenticeship.
Read up on the job role. Make sure that type of job is right for you. For example, as an FCO you need to ensure you are confident knocking on random people’s doors and you need to ensure you don’t mind working in bad weather conditions. You also need to make sure you are willing to put on the effort to get yourself through the apprenticeship. The apprenticeship is only easy if you are well organised and willing to put in effort.
Details
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Engineering
Herefordshire
May 2019