Higher Apprentice (Degree) Aerospace Engineering Review

As a degree apprentie my role varies as I rotate on placements. My placements cover Stress, Design and Production. My role is to assist the team I am placed with and learn more about their roles in order to continue my development. My first placement involved helping to write reports within a Stress team and assit in smaller projects such as altering spreadsheets used by the team as a directory. I am about to start a placement assisting another business area that involves working with engineering drawings. Additionally I work towards a level 4 NVQ in Aerospace Engineering and my Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

During my apprenticeship I have learnt a number of skills including: As part of my first year I learned a number of partical skills such as Turning, milling, welding, CNC programming, electrical and electronics. During my degree I have learned a number of analytical methods such as integration and differentiation. I have also learned how to use a number of programs such as Autocad, Inventor, Siemens NX and Teamcentre as part of a Product Lifecycle Management course which also taught me Technical drawing skills. I have also learned teamwork, communication and personal skills from Outward Bounds. The list goes on.

I have really enjoyed my time at Rolls-Royce it has challenged me and taught me a great deal about Engineering. I've made new friends and inspiring individuals. The practical skilsl I've learned will benefit my personal hobbies such as DIY and drone building. I enjoy the challenges I've faced which has helped me grow as an individual and expanded my knowledge. It has also been the first job I've had where I genuinely look forward to going to work each day.

There have been bumps and turbulence along the way. Nothing humanity makes is perfect there is always room for improvement however, despite these bumps I believe that the programme is well organised and structured. Those areas where things have not gone smoothly have been a learning experience for not only the programme provider but also myself in that I have been afforded the opportunity to provide feedback and help improve the programme for future apprentices. Therefore helping to ensure that following intakes of apprentices have an even greater experience.

Rolls-Royce has been incredibly supportive even from my initial interview I was provided with renumerations to cover my travel costs. I have also been supported with my vision issues and my dyslexia by being given a full dyslexia diagnostic and technology to assist me in my learning. My apprentice development lead has been very supportive and helped me in many ways both professional and personal to enable me to be at my best. The business continues to support me even through the current global crisis which is having a large impact on the aviation industry. And I truly feel that Rolls-Royce is one of the best companies to work for.

My training provider(s) have been very supportive. I have recieved additional time in exams and been given a seperate room to take my exams in. My lecturers have been extremely helpful and supportative, especially our tutor/network lead who regularly provided additional support to assist us. The provider regularly collects feedback in order to enable them to improve the programme. They provide feedback on assignments and answer questions to enable us to improve on future submissions. The training provider(s) also provide extra sessions if we request them to support us further.

My qualification(s) as I'm gaining three, a level 2 in Aerospace Engineering, a level 4 in Aerospace Engineering and a Level 6 (degree) in Mechanical Engineering (Aerospace) has provided me with a much better understanding of a wide variety of engineering apsects. One of my future role possibilities is designer and the knowledge provided by my qualifications will enable me to produce better models and drawings and meet industry standards. In the past two years I have learned a great deal and I believe that whatever my future holds my career will be in a much better position having completed these qualifications.

Rolls-Royce provides a large variety of extra-curricular activities and professional networking events. I have attended Pride events, and been part of STEM projects. During one of my placements my department ran a company activity where we learned about how the business was doing globally and discussed wellbeing within the business. They also take an hour out of work once a week for leisure/sporting activites to enhance the wellbeing of the team. Additionally Rolls-Royce has a leisure facility which holds an number of activites that employees can take part in/use such as tennis courts.

Yes

Rolls-Royce goes above and beyond with their apprenticeships teaching you life long skills that will be beneficial no matter where your career goes. Rolls-Royce is definately in the top five Apprenticeship provides with the likes of Airbus and Dyson. From day one they look after your needs and encourage to you to be at your best. Working with you to push yourself to develop as a person and an engineer. I know that even if they are unable to offer me a position due to the impact of Covid-19 I'll still be in a much better position for having gone through the apprenticeship. Although I do hope that I am able to secure a position in Rolls-Royce so I can continue learning.

A Degree Apprenticeship is not easy, infact its very challenging so you need to understand that from day one the onus is on you. This is your apprenticeship and you have to aim high and work hard to get the most out of it. That said not many companies will support you as much as Rolls-Royce will. You'll get to work with a diverse team and making lasting friendships that will no doubt help you no matter what. Be bold. Be brave and work hard, and if you don't succeed the first time, ask for feedback, grow and apply again next year. We learn nothing from success but failure teaches us how to avoid repeating our mistakes.