Apprentice Review

My role as an interior surface centre apprentice is to learn every area within the interior surface centre to a level where I could work in any area at any time and do the job to a high enough standard that it meets production requirements. I work in different areas for 2-3 months at a time

Having worked for the company prior to taking on the apprenticeship I have had the chance to further many skills I learnt previously, I have also had the opportunity to learn many new skills within the interior surface centre that will benefit me when working in most areas and give a better understanding of the processes

The programme within the interior surface centre can be very mixed depending on personal preferences, some areas are more enjoyable and some areas are not, one fo the more enjoyable aspects are one off projects that do not follow normal production processes, these are always fun as they require more thought and planning as there are no set processes for them

Personally I do not believe the programme within the interior surface centre is very well organised, although it is structured with a training plan showing where we should be and when we should be there, but once you arrive in these areas no one ever seems to know you were coming or know what to do with you.

My employer has many support options available for things such as depression and anxiety and other mental health issues, there are many posters and leaflets on site with the relevant contact information for these services. There is not much support for accommodation for people who either travel a far distance or need somewhere near to the site to stay

There is a lot of support from the college whether it’s for practical assessments or written assessments, the practical side of things is very well structured and the tutors have a great knowledge of what they teach and are able to tutor as a group and then give more direct support one to one

There is not much from the college course that relates to daily work within the interior surface centre other than anything to do with veneering, The rest of the course is mainly focused on using solid timber which is no longer used within the interior surface centre with the exception of the bespoke area.

There may be some extra curricular activities available to apprentices within the company but there must not be many or they don’t advertise it much, I know there are people who do charity events within and outside the company but advertise it either for donations or for other people to join.

Yes

Although the apprenticeship could do with many improvements in many different areas it still provides the apprentices with a vast knowledge of the workplace and many of the processes within it, any apprentice could come in with absolutely no knowledge of factory work or manufacturing and come out the other side ready to take a full time position within the bmw group

Be realistic, factory work is in no way glamorous, the processes and some management can be awkward and counter productive but the people you work with and learn from will be very helpful, overall the apprenticeship will give you a massive head start within BMW group compared to associates here through an agency and it is somewhere you can progress if you push yourself hard enough