Aircraft Fitter Review

As a year 2 apprentice, my day-to day consists of shadowing qualified engineers and working towards completing my NVQ. I have been set out on a work rotation of various sections. I have one day in College. I am expected to adhere to the safety and work standards of GE.

I have learnt many new skills during my work experience on the shop floor. I have also developed on my existing hand and tool skills that I either learnt in collage or during my life. The beauty of my role is that I am constantly developing on my experience and skills.

I am thoroughly enjoying the programme set out for me. As with anything in life, it is not perfect and there is always room for improvement. However, I feel highly confident that I will be set up well for the job and come out of the apprentice qualified and competent.

The organisation and structure of the apprenticeship programme has significantly improved since the start of my apprenticeship. Since the start of my course, the GE apprentice team have undergone a management change. That coupled with the recovery from COVID-19, has taken some time to get back on track. That being said, the new apprentice team have already significantly improved the course.

I cannot speak for others on this topic. However, I personally have had all the support I could need. That goes for my apprentice allocators and the engineers that I shadow on the shop floor. They are very accommodating to work for.

At the beginning with the previous management of the apprentice team, I received very little in terms of support and guidance. I would often seek support from older apprentices on the shop floor. However, since the change in management, support has drastically improved. This has come with regular catch up sessions and reviews.

I feel that the college qualification sets you up for a broad understanding of engineering and aircraft. Some subjects seem irrelevant to my role, however, they have come into some advantage now and then. In terms of the NVQ, it is specific to the role I will be doing once I qualify.

There are plenty of extra-curricular activities that the college provide. This was easier to be involved with in the first year. At the work site, there are fewer of these opportunities. However, there are good career development opportunities that crop up every now and then. Such as career events and world skills.

Yes

I have had a good experience and I know others who work here and have recommended it to myself. It is a highly transferrable qualification and there are opportunities all across the globe. In relation to South Wales, you will be hard pressed to find a better career in aerospace.

Having a passion for aerospace and/or engineering definitely helps. I feel it is what gave me a slight advantage. As with any application, understand the company values, ethos and history, read up on the engines we build and how they work. This will come across very well and will also help with the qualification.