Trainee Engineer Review

Initially my role was as a trainee cabler, this involved installing various cable types and lengths (some over 1km) into the network. Towards the end of my first year with the company I have also begun further training towards the role of fibre jointer, with this being my focus going forward.

I have learnt many skills over the course of this first year, being a mix of job specific skills and also skills that can be transferred into daily life. My recent training towards fibre jointing has been the area in which I have learnt the most, as this area was something new to me.

My experience has been mixed in honesty, due to certain individuals I have encountered over my first year. On the whole it has been a very positive experience, however there have been a few occasions that have blemished my experience slightly. The people in question however are no longer involved in my day to day activities and interactions, and as such I am currently very happy in my role.

At times I have struggled with the organisation and structure of the programme. There have been times when myself, along with some of my colleagues, have struggled with little interaction and guidance. Unfortunately (and unavoidably) my assigned tutor is absent with a long term illness, which has meant that many of the guided sessions we were supposed to have ended up becoming independent study. I was very happy to work independently but wasn't aware that I would then be unable to get further supervised sessions later down the line; this made the process much tougher than it would've otherwise been.

As noted in the above section, there should have been a support structure in place, which due to unavoidable circumstances was somewhat disrupted. Unfortunately however this meant that a majority of the planned guided study sessions became independent study sessions. Away from this, the support received has been mixed dependent on the team I have been working on at the time. I have worked under 2 managers whilst undertaking the NVQ course, who seem to have been at opposite ends of the scale support-wise. My current manager has been amazing, and has given more support than has been asked for; he has always put my development and progress above all else, and has been a delight to work under as a result. My previous manager however was less supportive with regards the demands of the programme, and seemed more focussed on the completion of non-NVQ based activities above other things.

My assigned tutor unfortunately fell ill, meaning the ample supported sessions planned became very much disrupted. Over the course of my first 12 months I was due to attend 10 guided study sessions, however, due to their unfortunate illness, by the time a replacement tutor was in place I had already undergone 6/7 of the sessions without guidance. These sessions were then unfortunately not re-scheduled, meaning that I unfortunately didn't receive as much support in this area as I would have liked.

I feel that the qualification helps to better understand various factors (such as the legalities of certain situations, and the cause and effect of certain on the job actions, for example) much more than the day to day work on the tools does. Whilst I don't necessarily find it has improved my performance regards certain tasks I need to undertake on the job, it has certainly been a very helpful and important tool to have alongside my on the job training.

I have not come across any formally organised extra curricular activities; however the 'workplace' social media app provided by the company does provide a platform for networking within the business. I also currently work on a very tight knit team, and as such there have been team building/bonding events, such as team meals out at Christmas for example.

Yes

I find myself in a job which has daily challenges and tests, but not so much that the job becomes unenjoyable. It is a nice atmosphere in which to learn and grow, mastering a skillset and providing a service to customers, I personally find it a very enjoyable place to work, with very visible routes for progression.

Be open minded, every day is different and some will be incredibly testing. The reward for enduring the tough times though is positive. Work safe, and smart, and soak up the knowledge passed on to you! Everybody I have come across has plenty of knowledge to share, and most are more than happy to share it in order to see you grow.