Substation Higher Apprentice Review

by National Grid

Rating

9/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

Over the year I attend College, the Eakring training center and on site time. When at college I work on assignments contributing to my HNC, at Eakring I complete courses that give an introduction to various work I will do on site which includes exams to ensure we can get certain authorizations, and on site I help out with whatever jobs are occurring to give me workplace experience alongside a logbook of jobs that I have to complete over my course

10/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

I have developed both soft and hard skills so far consisting of time management, communication and critical thinking as well as developing my hands on skills in my field such as electrical and mechanical fitting as well as how to read circuit diagrams

10/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I really enjoy my program as I gain knowledge and experience in the field I am interested in in various different ways to support my learning. I also have enjoyed moving around to different places and meeting my new cohort

9/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

The program for the year is available to us from the start containing where we have to be and what we are doing each day, however our time on site can be relatively broken up so I only have 2-3 days at a time together where I am unable to be part of some jobs which I need for my logbook

7/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

In all aspects of my course I have support from various people for different things, we have a safeguarding and apprenticeship team dedicated to giving us support in anything to do with us personally and any support with any issues we have with our program

10/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

When working towards our HNC the college and apprenticeship team have regular meetings to discuss any issues with the course that we have raised with either of them and any issues that we have had have been dealt with quickly

10/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

The qualification for some modules doesn't directly have an effect on my job role but some do offer additional context and theory to the work that we do on site

7/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

There are many opportunities for apprentices to do additional forms of volunteering which we are encouraged to do. this might include online webinars or in person events such as the big bang fair at the NEC in Birmingham.

9/10

9a. Would you recommend National Grid to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

National Grid offer a great apprenticeship opportunity to start or advance your career and give you many opportunities to progress in your job role. they also have lots of benefits that help massively such as a company car for apprentices

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to National Grid?

I would say the main piece of advice is patience throughout the application process, between stages it can take a while for grid to make a decision which often can be a good sign