Apprentice Technician Review

General maintenance of the workshop, cleaning up, emptying the bins. I also service vehicles, changing the oil and filter etc. Carry out visual health checks on vehicles, checking wear of brakes etc. I also change brake pads and discs, which are then checked. Fetching parts for the jobs I am working on. Working on jobs with my mentor and learning new things, like how to perform an EGR flush for example.

I have learnt many new skills, such as customer interaction, talking to customers. Using tools to carry out jobs, such as ratchets and sockets for taking out screws and bolts. Using ElsaPro to create service sheets, searching for TPI’s, torque settings for the screws and bolts going into the vehicle.

I enjoy the programme to a large extent, I get to learn new things and carry out tasks, I get pushed to do a lot of new things by my mentor and my peers. It’s a very enjoyable environment to be in and I always have someone to work with me when I am unaware of something on a job, for example if I am unsure on how to work a machine needed.

It seems to be well organised, COVID has made it harder to see the normality of what it would usually be like, due to all the restrictions. Sometimes job cards can be wrong and a lack of communication between managers and service at the front which makes some jobs difficult instead of being straight forward.

I receive a huge amount of support from my employer, he is very helpful and laid back, so it’s easy to get along with him and to go to him for advice or information on jobs when I need to, such as if a job is complicated or parts are not available.

I haven’t received much support from my training provider, I believe that is due to COVID and being unable to go on college blocks. There is some things online that help towards my qualification and I have had explanations on how to complete the tasks through phone calls.

I haven’t had much interaction with my trainer provider except a few phone calls to walk me through online tasks, which were helpful, these also included a check on how I was doing in my job role and personally, and my knowledge on diversity and British values, one being to treat everyone the same no matter what their religious background, skin colour or ethnicity.

No

Yes

It is a great job, with a lot of great people, who are extremely friendly and helpful and easy to get along with. You get to learn and lot of new skills and get involved with the jobs and be apart of the process to finding and fixing the fault.

To be open minded about working in an environment that can sometimes be chaotic and unorganised but also somewhere that can expand your knowledge and skills and can be a really great place to work to start and build a career in the automotive industry.