Electronics Engineer Review

I work within the telephone exchanges covering the Solent Area, this includes areas such Salisbury, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth all the way to Bridport. In total we cover around 200 exchange buildings and within these buildings we do faults on both the fibre and copper network on various pieces of equipment, also we do a fair amount of cable work, for fibre this is bandwidth expansion as the fibre rollout across the UK intensifies. As an apprentice i tend to work along side an engineer and do buddy work but as i have become more experienced and gained more skills i do work independently too.

I have developed many skills and think i have come along way in this past year and a half, when i joined i had no knowledge the network and now am comfortable doing faults alone as well as basic skills such as using tools and testing different equipment. Which when i joined i wasn't as comfortable doing.

So far i have really enjoyed it, working with a variety if people of different ages, different senses of humour and different work styles. This has helped me pick my skill set and get better at a variety of areas within engineering. You also have a fair amount of freedom to an extent, managers trust you to get on with your work so are not on you're back constantly which i found was the case at other employers i have worked for.

Well organised, we do a BTEC to gain background knowledge and class based learning as well as NVQ to learn and explain certain skills then rotate round with different engineers to gain more experience. In addition to this i have been doing training courses to expand knowledge further, this helps me for practical work as i build a better understanding on many areas and the theory helps me put it all together better.

If i ever have any issues or concerns i can always go to my line manager and he will always help me where needed, in addition there are many resources around me such as the people i work with etc, they always have time and are willing to help and explain.

Within the course there is always support. For my NVQ my assessor is always there if i need support or guidance on topics, or if unsure or need extra help on an assignment set. If i needed someone to speak to about non work related matters she would be there too along with many others, when i was at college doing my BTEC this was the case too, they are always very understanding and helpful and quick when it came to marking or needed something checked over. I have also been told if need support where to go there is a range of areas listed on the bt intranet page if i needed support and an apprentice team that we can rely on too.

Training courses have been beneficial as they are mix of theory and practical once complete i can do live faults / jobs and put this into practise and improve my skill set, when i do this i make note of what i am doing so i always have something to refer to until i am confident i can do it unassisted. NVQ assignments has helped me build a portfolio and explain skills whilst meeting the criteria, and college taught me initial theory around the job and the telephone network and history behind it whilst doing practical based learning at points too.

I tend to receive emails about social activities i can get involved in such as Kahoot quizzes on certain days, these can be with other apprentices therefore encouraging the idea of social interaction with others, online calls about different areas of the business and different fields etc. BT also run charity events to raise money and other areas.

Yes

Because the Apprenticeship follows good structure and over the space of 3 years you can pick up a good skill set and not feel rushed or un-prepared when done, through training / buddying and gaining a BTEC and NVQ is more qualifications and supportive people within the company. This all will allow you to gain a good understanding of the job you are doing both through practical and theory

Gain a general understanding about BT what they do, who they are. Go into depth and find a way to stick out from the crowd. In the interview try stay calm and follow things like eye contact try not to appear too nervous and show interest around the job as well as make sure you do you're research so it looks like you are interested and want the job.