Electronic Engineer Apprentice Review

I drive around in a van to various Telephone Exchanges carrying out maintenance and build work to the telephone and core network split into 3 different areas. Build, switch and transmission. Build work is their to expand the network, transmission is to help work on and repair the links between the exchanges and the outside world, and switch is to help repair and work on telephone lines and all the equipment that comes with it.

Firstly when I joined I quickly started to pick up many different skills to do with the job. These were as simple as using basic tools such as drills, screwdrivers and spanners as this was not something I had done before. I also developed many skills on the laptop as we are on this throughout the day to help with work. Finally going to college in Yarnfield helped me learn all about the telecommunications systems as well as helping me learn basic maths and english skills again.

I think the program is very good. The fact it is 3 years long is brilliant as it is giving me the perfect amount of time to learn all new skills whilst being able to use them myself out in the field on my own. Also the hours and days suits me well, 4 week days a week with a rotor day off during the week and weekends off is brilliant. Also the support you get from everyone including all your buddies, line manager and NVQ assessor is brilliant as you always have someone to talk to when you need to.

With COVID being around during my apprenticeship the last few years have been difficult to organise. With the first lockdown I was working from home for a few months which wasn't ideal for my development but it was something that had to be done. Also this meant my courses I was booked on/looking to do were being cancelled, meaning I was losing some valuable training that would have helped me massively in my job. However, in all of this my NVQ work has been very structured and well organised as I have made good progress with this and feel I have organised my time well.

As I have previously mentioned, there is a lot of support on the job. It is a different dynamic on the job to many others as you can sometimes go weeks without seeing or even speaking to your manager so a lot of the help and support that I get is from the other engineers that I work with which is brilliant. In all of this my manager will always pick up the phone when I call and help me out.

The training I have done in Yarnfield on my BTEC and NVQ have been brilliant. My tutor in Yarnfield was brilliant when we were up there for the five weeks as he was helping us with all the assignments and exams. As for my NVQ my assessor Julie has been very helpful and has always been happy to talk through and issues or problems I have had. Overall I have felt a lot of support in my training so far.

My BTEC in Yarnfield was very informative, however I don't feel it massively helps when doing my day to day job. A lot of the information on the course has never come up since and I don't think it will. As for the NVQ, it is mainly to do with the work we do but again I wouldn't say it helps me perform better at my job. I am waiting to go on some work related courses such as 21CN and AXE10 which hopefully will develop my skills and help me perform better in my role.

In the apprenticeship I believe they do run extra curricular events outside of work but with the last year and a half being in the pandemic I haven't had the chance to explore any of these unfortunately. Past apprentices have told me stories of ski trips and other activities they have been on so hopefully that's something that I can do in my last year.

Yes

BT is a massive company with so many avenues you can go down. For me, I really enjoy the engineering side of the job and wish to continue down this path. However, if you don't enjoy the apprenticeship, after the 3 years there is so much more you can do and many other different positions to apply for within the company.

When applying for BT I found it was very helpful to get an understanding of the company before joining. In this engineering position its a very unique job with not much you can research beforehand so I would suggest going into it with an open mind. A decent level of experience with computers also helps as that's what you will be using everyday on the job also.