Higher Level Apprentice Review

My day-to-day is the same as any other employee at the company and I fulfil my role to the expected capacity of a regular employee, this is due to the end of my apprenticeship approaching and I will simply graduate into the role and carry on. Before this I spent 4 days a week working in various departments where my day-to-day would vary depending on where I was placed and I would spend 1 day a week at college gaining my qualifications. The first year consisted of everyday at college.

Over the course of the apprenticeship I gained many new engineering related skills, particularly hand skills, using CNC machinery and knowledge of systems. equipment, test procedures, safety and the industry. I have also developed my interpersonal, communication and teamworking skills throughout my time, with both my apprenticeship and work colleagues.

I have enjoyed my time overall. There have definitely been some harder times when there has been many priorities to handle although time and support was provided. There were global issues outside the companies control that impacted a large portion of the apprenticeship and this did reduce the enjoyment as it made things difficult to complete and communication was hard.

There are several different elements incorporated within the apprenticeship which are all organised to varying degrees. The team which manages and supports apprentices had a complete change and the course itself also changed, therefore there has been a low level of consistency and knowledge transfer did not occur. Often the next placement location has not been organised correctly and there is little to no structure of the programme. Each apprentice in my year has done things completely differently and no one can inform us of the correct process.

The support from the employer is split between the apprenticeship team and my work department. Throughout the work departments have been generally supportive, providing guidance and assisting me with apprenticeship completion where possible. Support from the apprentice team has been varied, I received a lot of support and investment early on, however the team was changed an I barely have any contact anymore.

The training provider is awful and we complained regularly to both the provider and my company, however no changes were made and the same complaints have been raised every year since. The college lectures are unstructured and require an intense amount of self teaching in order to complete the course, it would almost be easier without the college's input. Many teachers are unprofessional and seem to be incapable of teaching if they even showed up.

The qualification provided was relevant to my industry and work and provided the stepping stones needed to continue in my career. I do not use the knowledge everyday, however it is occasionally useful during more complicated tasks appear covering the same topics. Although, there was a large portion of the course aligned to a completely different branch of engineering I will never use as it does not interest me.

There are many different and diverse networks to be involved with, who provide guidance, support, knowledge or networking opportunities to a range of employees. There is also STEM engagement to get involved with, encouraging younger people to consider a career in STEM and particularly engineering in the future through school visits or larger city events.

Yes

Whilst aspects of the experience haven't been ideal, the overall process has been worthwhile and enjoyable. The benefits of completing an apprenticeship in order to begin your career are massive and I would encourage anyone to undertake one. The company is international providing so many opportunities and progression, as well as working in interesting sectors of engineering.

Ensure you research and understand the company before applying as it is important to show you understand the scale of the business and the work we do. Make sure that you are prepared to work hard in order to successfully complete all the different aspects of the apprenticeship whilst working and earning at the same time.