Technical Assembly Apprentice Review

As an apprentice I have moved around many different manufacturing / engineering related departments and acted as a support for them while learning their role.

During my time on the assembly line, I refined and became very good at physically building including using a variety of tools and different types of fitment. My time in the support functions tought me various legislation that applies to manufacturing as well as many production skills and problem solving. My ability to speak and present has largely increased and so has my confidence as a result.

The assembly line became extremely repetative but the poeple down there with me oftedn made it largely enjoyable. Being in the support functions is interesting as you see many different things every day and it's never quiet. I didn't enjoy college at all as it felt unorganised and the assignments were often poorly written which meant information that was expected in the assignment was not included by anyone in the class and we all missed out on better grades as a result.

After my time on the line, I organised my own placements with very little input from my manager which was good for me as I got to choose where I went. Oftern when I started in placementsw, they wouldn't know what to do with me for the first week as no plan was ever created between me and the managers and often I would have to hunt around for a laptop to use as for whatever reason apprentices couldn't order their own in my department. Communication between college and work was often very limited and as a result one year we missed the first week of college. We were supposed to have college reviews every college term but I think I have had maybe 4 in 4 years. Subjects and lessons were also rarely organised in advance meaning we never knew what we were supposed to be doing until it happened.

I get support if I ask for it.

Some lecturers reply to your emails if you have a question about the assignment. If they do, the answers are often purposefully vague due to the nature of the course. College reviews basically didn't happen after my first year and I spent at least half of my apprenticship not even knowing who my tutor was.

If I had done the qualification seperately to working here, I would say it really wouldn't have prepared me for the role. The course helped me to gain a slightly more engineering mind with reading CAD data and terminology but often I found that the work I did at work helped me with the college work rather than the other way around.

There are some lunch time events that happen to expand your network but I have never been. I have done some short training sessions provided by external companies. These are often quite informative and can help with everyday work.

Yes

The work is often intersting, there is plenty of room to progress, many managers are interested in your personal development, the benefits and pension are above average, and there is more job security for permanant employees than any other automotive company in the UK (at the moment)

The managers often look for someone with a keen attitude as they can teach the knowledge