Advanced Manufacturing Apprentice Review

In my role, the first 2 years will be split between college and the workplace. The final year of the 3 year programme is carried out solely within the workplace. I have been placed in the Calibration department. This department carry out a variety of tasks, testing and adjusting electrical and also mechanical equipment. I have been working in the off-the-shelf department and test common equipment such as power supplies and multimeters. We monitor equipment to ensure that they are reliable and perform within a set tolerance.

My role has helped me develop skills in using patience and critical thinking. When measuring equipment values you have to consider everything that could affect the results. This means employing critical thinking to analyse the environmental properties, warm up time, cable length and anything else that could alter the results. This role has also improved my ability in handling electrostatic-sensitive-devices. I ensure these devices remain unaffected through the use of the correct ESD equipment and handling procedures.

I am thoroughly enjoying the programme at present. The mixture of college and work-based learning adds a great level of variety to each week. The company culture is excellent and allows you to feel like you are a valued member, even as an apprentice. The work itself is engaging and finishing early on Fridays due to a compressed work week is an added bonus!

The programme is well structured with monthly reviews taking place as well as 12-weekly meetings with the college training coordinator. I am expecting to be rotated to another calibration section within the first 12 months of my apprenticeship and was informed of this in my first week. Training was well presented and organised during our induction.

As apprentices, we are consistently reminded that if we need any support we can always ask our apprentice leader or line manager. There are also HR departments dedicated to helping us with mental health and occupational health related support if needed. Furthermore, we frequently discuss if support is needed during reviews and are reminded of ways to reach out via the intranet.

Gloscol are a great training provider. The meetings with my training coordinator present an opportunity to set goals to stretch my learning and maximise the benefits of work-based learning. They frequently offer support and have dedicated services relating to work related and personal issues. The lecturers are friendly and great for providing additional support if you need it.

The qualification lays down theory that underpins everything we do in the workplace. The health and safety aspects of the course go hand-in-hand with the role to allow us to keep ourselves and others safe. I have been able to use my classroom education of test equipment to accelerate development in my role using and testing them.

I am unaware of any sports teams if there are any, although I did join the company amid a global pandemic! There is currently a Women's Networking session that takes place every two weeks involving a discussion about relevant TED talks. Outside of this, the company frequently provide discussions and broadcasts that can be streamed regarding current events in the business.

Yes

GE Aviation is a company with a good culture and friendly staff. With such a wide range of roles there should be something for everyone and great future prospects, if looking to clime the ladder. The benefits and pay are also good with free healthcare and schemes like cycle-to-work available.

Be open and honest about your experience and willingness to learn. A lot of the business is focused on education and development and it could help you too demonstrate your passion for learning new things. During the assessment days, you should demonstrate how you could be a valued team member and ensure you get that point across to the observers.