Engineering Technician Review

I'm currently in my second year of my apprenticeship. This year involves rotating placements in different areas of the business every 3 months. This gives me a very good understanding of the different roles involved in the company and a working experience of what my role is going to be at the end of the apprenticeship.

Working with different departments and people this apprenticeship has given me the ability to improve my communication and teamwork skills in the workplace. When working in different placement, I have been able to improve my confidence in the workplace as I am often presenting in meetings and discussions for that area.

I really enjoy my programme. One of the most enjoyable aspect of it is the fact that the work I am involved on a day-to-day basis contributes to the company in a positive way and provides satisfaction to the customer. I also like the fact that there is always support for me if needed from colleagues, my employer and the training provider.

The programme is well organised. The training provider has been helpful when in need of information. On a weekly basis, we have meetings with our Apprentice Manager who makes sure we are all working effectively both at work and at our training provider to ensure we get the best out of our apprenticeship.

My employer (BMW) provides a lot of support to us as apprentices. They have provided Laptops for us to use which helps at work and at our college as well. We have reviews and meetings on a weekly basis with our Apprentice Manager to ensure we are receiving all the help and support we can get.

The training provider provides adequate support when working towards our qualifications. This involves providing extra coaching/support sessions for subject when in need. We also have a college tutor that we have reviews with when in college to ensure we are working well in college and are improving when it comes to our qualifications.

What we learn through our qualification helps me to understand my working environment on a day-to-day basis. The theory learnt at our training provider helps me to understand the working processes and make me able to know more about my role in the company and understand the industry of engineering.

There are many opportunities outside work. In the first two weeks of employment in the first year, we as an apprentice group take a trip to skern lodge in Bideford. It helps us to build networks with other BMW Group apprentices as well as teamwork with my apprentice group. We are also involved in Group projects and charity events.

Yes

BMW Group is a great company that offers many great opportunities for your career and the different possible qualifications you can get. For my apprenticeship (level 6), it is a great opportunity to be able to work on the job, learn from a training provider and getting a qualification (degree) at the end of my apprenticeship with the education paid for by the company as well as getting paid. It is a great opportunity to further your career and comes with a lot of benefits such as a great pension scheme, the car scheme and so much more.

For anyone that wants to apply to BMW Group, I would suggest getting work experience at one of the plants to see if it is something you'll enjoy doing and researching the history of the company and to be interested in engineering. I would also advice looking on our careers page for application hints and tips to give you the best chance of success. It is important to prepare well and show your confidence on the day. Good luck!