Degree Apprentice Review

On a day to day basis my role depends on the placement. I have been project manager for certain projects, where I would have to run meetings with external partners to ensure they are delivering to their plan. My current placement involves data analysis of vehicle simulation runs. I create insights into these using excel and simulink.

I have absolutely developed my presentation and public speaking skills. These are skills that I continue to develop throughout the course, by getting opportunities to speak to seniors inside and outside of the company. I have also developed my abilities in problem solving, through working to solve challenges that may not always have complete data available.

The enjoyment of the programme can depend upon the placement I am working on at the time. At some points, working in my home team has been challenging due to changing requirements. However, working on new and interesting placements is always enjoyable, so I try to do that as much as possible. Academically, some of the courses are interesting, but having to do assignments outside of work can impact social life.

The programme is quite well structured, everyone knows what is expected of them at each stage. We have very good support from our work based learning manager, although your line manager may vary in their awareness of the demands of the apprenticeship. The consistency between business areas could be improved, with some apprentices being allocated time aside from their role to do apprenticeship admin.

Very good support from your work based learning manager, they are able to help with almost any issue on the apprenticeship. I have been able to develop my growth plan with the support of my work based learning manager. Your line manager usually will treat you like a normal employee, which is good in the respect that you get robust performance reviews, although sometimes they do not understand the demands of the apprenticeship.

The training provider gives very good access to the library and to online journal articles. This massively helps with the research required for assignments. Generally whilst on a module in university you have allocated time to speak with tutors about any questions you may have. You also get allocated a project supervisor in the final years to support your work based project. Sometimes it can be difficult for apprentices to get to the university outside of modules to meet with support staff.

The qualification is very useful in being able to prove your ability in general for your role. This means that by explaining what you have studied at university can persuade managers to give you increased responsibility and autonomy in work. However, a lot of the content is either too broad or too specific to be applied in work.

There are some extra curricular activities to get involved with. These are only planned by regular colleagues rather than apprentices, which can be useful for networking. Any apprentice activities are only organised informally outside of work and are often challenging to get support for. This is likely due to the intensity of the course, in some weeks you are either at work or at home studying, making planning a work-life balance difficult.

Yes

JLR give you the experience of working for a large company, and are generally happy to give even new apprentices meaningful work to do. Due to its size, there is also the opportunity to develop your ability to manage your own career, as there are so many options of where you can build experience. Previously, the company has been very good at offering training courses, although it is a shame that many of these have been cut - making it hard to plan development at the moment.

Focus on gaining experience that allows you to show the behaviours against which everyone is assessed. This is generally more important that all-out ability, as by showing the right behaviours will encourage colleagues to support you and also give you beneficial tasks. A commitment to taking control of your career is also vital to maintain motivation and focus on your potential.