Network Engineer Review

I make sure that the vehicles' network architectures are accurate and reflect the changes made each year. Platform upgrades are also part of the role and involve many different tasks. Overall, it requires meetings with senior engineers and discussion of plans and strategy for future car models. There are also coding and database project opportunities.

I have learnt many soft skills as they are required in my day-to-day activities. Efficient communication, planning and scheduling tasks, working across different teams. I have built a strong foundation over the course of the first year. I also learnt how to follow different engineering standards required for my role (coding, networks etc.)

The programme offers many opportunities and you have the chance to meet colleagues with various amounts of experience. On the other hand, you also get to meet people from the University (staff and fellow students) which I have found very useful as it is easy to find people with similar interests through societies etc.

The programme itself is organised quite well, we receive a timetable for the entire year, with each day being delegated to work or a university module. We have quarterly reviews which assess our progress and mental well-being. In terms of handling our assigned tasks, it is up to us how we organise our time.

There is plenty support available from your employer to make sure that you feel comfortable in the work environment. Your manager is able to help you with queries and you also have the opportunity to discover different teams across the company to expand on your knowledge. Although it is not the fastest process.

We have been assigned a Mentor which is specifically helping us with achieving all the criteria for the Engineering qualification. He is available for questions and has plenty experience in most cases. He guides you through the 4 years of the degree apprenticeship and makes sure that you are meeting the requirements.

The modules we are taught at WMG have been somewhat tailored to fit our job roles. There are certain modules which emphasize more on what we cover in our job activities. So, they do help us perform better. However, most of the important modules are only covered at year two, year three and year four of the degree apprenticeship.

There are some extra-curricular events available, although I wouldn't be able to provide an accurate perspective as COVID-19 has impacted everyone's ability to organize social activities. The company still organised some online events available to everyone. Overall, there are opportunities; some are team based and others available for the entire company.

Yes

It is a very large, well-established organisation which will provide you with a good work and studying balance as well as a good salary. It will provide you with a good foundation and valuable experience and in most cases, it results in long-term employment. You get to work in a company and you can see the change you are making every time you go outside.

I would advise people to look for opportunities, because they are there, but not all of them are being explicitly offered. It will bring in valuable experience. Secondly, there will always be something new that you haven't learned yet, so don't panic if people are talking about a thing that you have never heard before. Every time I have asked for clarification, they calmly explained to me what it was, so don't be afraid to ask questions.