Technical Apprentice Review

A day to day basis at BAE Systems can vary depending on which department you are working in. Unfortunately some are quite dry with work and its difficult to get challenged and motivated with little to do, some give you a lot of work though ranging from customer queries to a lot of small tasks for the supervisor.

Over the course of my apprenticeship and working here as a full time employee i have developed my skills on the computer mostly, working with excel and work documents but also a range of new tools and software such as crack growth analysis and other technology specific for the job role i am in.

I enjoyed my apprenticeship quite well as i met a variety of lovely people who helped me develop within the company and also help me with my apprenticeship work too. Generally all the supervisors are keen to help you along the way and the training provider(s) ensure you are looked after and happy also.

The scheme is very well organised but to an extent. I knew which departments i would be in and the dated i would be moving to them, however some departments within themselves didn't have much of a plan for the apprentices which i thought was unorganised, especially since they knew they would be getting apprentices for a few months. In departments such as Structures though, there was a plan in place for the apprentices.

I received a lot of support from my training provider throughout my whole apprenticeship, each supervisor/manager within the department would generally offer support and help if needed, but generally i was fairly happy within all of my placements and being able to talk and get to know different members of staff.

My training provider changed during the course of my apprenticeship, which i knew it would anyway. I started at Hull college for the first two years which was not good at all. Although the work was easy, it was not an organised college and it took months for our certificates to come through. We began HETA (also in Hull) in the 3rd year which was much more organised and all the staff were friendly and helpful.

i think the qualifications i have picked up have certainly helped me in my job role, especially the mathematical side of the work. I have learnt more about businesses and engineering as a general too which i can apply to my daily work. It is difficult with specific work that we do at BAE Systems though and a lot of knowledge is gained through experience here.

Yes we always get notified about other activities and group work going on from our weekly HR emails and newsletters. There are a range of charitable events to take part in as well as mental awareness groups and wellbeing activities also which i think is a great idea to get employees involved in.

Yes

Wages always appeal to everyone and i have certainly been impressed with BAE Systems apprenticeship wages. I started on 14k and by my 4th and final year i was on 23k, which then increased a lot again when i was offered my full time job. Since finishing my apprenticeship i have completed my degree (also sponsored by the company) with no tie-backs, so once i finished i could have left the company straight away (although i didn't).

I would say to brush up on the knowledge about the company in general, this is always extremely important for any interview. The interview process for BAE Systems is quite long and when i did mine i completed an aptitude test (similar to an IQ test) where they look at math skills and such so i would recommend trying a few of these also.