Business Apprentice Review

I am a business Apprentice, and I am fortunate enough to move to and from departments within Leonardo. I have looked at the companies Finance, the Manufacturing and Logistics, to looking at the project management, planning, commercial and procurement aspects of a business. I have completed numerous of tasks within Leonardo, but Since picking my final placement, commercial, I have been looking at quotes, pricing, terms and conditions, etc.

I have developed my confidence and communication skills since working with Leonardo. This is something that I have always found a weakness of mine and with each placement and department team I enter into and work with, I get the opportunity to improve these skills. Entering a new team, new work and requirements I tend to find my confidence in my ability and my communication skills to disappear, but as I become more settled into my placements I usually improve on these skills as i start to feel more comfortable.

I really enjoy being a Business Apprentice. I applied to a few apprenticeships, a manufacturing, logistics and a business apprentice. I had taken Business at GCSE level and i really enjoyed the manufacturing side at school so I assumed i would be happy whatever one i chose. I eventually progressed with the business apprenticeship and has been one of the best decisions i have made.

My overall apprenticeship is very organised. First month into my apprenticeship i received my placement plan which told me what placements i would be entering into and when. With each placement/department I would usually have a placement plan which highlights the type of work i would be looking at, who I would be working with, etc.

At the start of my apprenticeship I communicated with my Line manager every day, this eventually became once a week to once a month, as I progressed with my apprenticeship. I now have a catch up with my employer/line manager every 3 months to check how my placement is going and discuss any issues. I know I can communicate with my line manager if any concerns may arise.

I had two training provides/college point of contact (POC). The transition from POC was a bit challenging as they marked work differently, they had different approaches to handing in work, improvements, etc. but I got used to the change fairly quickly. My whole college course was conducted remotely which I did find challenging at first, but I eventually got use to the electronic interactions. I have a catch up with my assessor every 3 months to make sure I am on track with college work and complete a wellbeing check.

My college work has helped me with my Leonardo work by making sure I know how to manage my workload to ensure i meet deadlines.

I was recently apart of the Cross site forum and the apprentice conference.

Yes

Friendly environment, close network of apprentices, good benefits that tails all employees.

Learn the company software as quick as you can. Make sure you make a note of the company's IT departments phone number. Make connections with other new apprentices and current apprentices, as they can act has another form of support.