Apprentice Review

Throughout my apprenticeship at BAE Systems I will undergo 5 different placements within the business to broaden my understanding of the company. My current role within my apprenticeship is in asset management. This involves me looking after company assets from day to day, making sure they are there and sending them out for calibration when they have expired. My current role involves a lot of work on the shop floor and interacting with the machinists.

Whilst being in my apprenticeship so far I feel as if I have developed a range of new skills to benefit myself and the business itself. My knowledge on how to use excel spreadsheets is now more advanced as I use it on a daily basis. I have also learnt how to use other internet platforms whilst on the job such as EAMS. Another skill I feel has developed since starting my apprenticeship is my ability to get up and perform a presentation to my peers.

The programme I am on is extremely enjoyable. As I have 5 different placements throughout my apprenticeship I will have lots of opportunities to go out and see much more of the business. I really enjoy seeing how the work I do is useful and benefits the business as a whole and see that it isn't wasted job.

The programme is very well structured in the fact that there is a clear plan for all apprentices throughout their apprenticeship. Each apprentice knows that they will do 5 different placements and how long each placement will roughly last for. We all know what is expected from us as apprentices and we know what we must do in order to complete the course.

BAE Systems offers great support for all staff not just us apprentices. They offer free health care, weather that be a dentist, physiotherapist or just the doctors themselves. BAE Systems is also partnered up with mental health organisations to offer 24 hour service for anyone who needs it. Personally I feel the support given to me by BAE Systems is excellent, I know that if I am ever in need of any help my skills coach will help whatever the trouble is. It is not just my skills coach that offers this support, my line manager, placement manager and all other members of the early careers team offer support to all when needed.

I feel my training provider provides all the support I could possibly need when working towards my qualification. My skills coach is always letting me know that if I never need support with the work I should always feel comfortable going to him. He doesn't give me the answers but steers me in the right direction.

The qualification I will achieve at the end of my apprenticeship, I believe, will really benefit myself and the business in the future. This is because the skills I will have developed within the business whilst working towards my qualifications will come into hand when leaving the apprenticeship scheme and going full out into the business.

There are many different extra-curricular activities for me to get involved in. For example, there is the German exchange, this gives us apprentices the opportunity to go and travel out to Germany to see how their apprenticeships differ form ours and then likewise, they come over to England and we host them over here. There are many others as well such as helping out at open events and the interview dates.

Yes

I would recommend this apprenticeship as it is a great opportunity for someone to develop as a person, from ranging your academic skills to understanding how a big business operates. Another great factor in why I would recommend is the fact you get to earn whilst you learn, this would be a massive pull factor for anyone as a lot of people after leaving school or college find themselves in debt. With this apprenticeship you don't have any of that debt that you would get from university fees, and if you still wanted to go to university to get a degree, BAE Systems will sponsor you to do so as long as it will benefit the business.

My advice would be to have confidence in yourself when applying,and going into your interview, this is because you are trying to sell yourself to the business and show why you are better than all of the other people applying. Another bit of advice I would give to people, especially if they're coming straight form school, is to prepare yourself. BAE Systems is a massive company and it can be quite overwhelming coming straight from school being put straight into the workplace.