Higher Business Apprentice Review

Item: Higher Business Apprentice at GE Aerospace
Rating: 4.9
Author: Anonymous

at GE Aerospace

Degree Apprenticeship

Business Operations

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Review Submitted: April 2021

Overall Rating

4.9 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

5/5 - Overview of Role

5/5 - Skills Development

4.8/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

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

5/5

There is morning meetings known as BUCC, PCC where any quality or safety concerns are discussed. The day to day depends on the rotation you are in so can be anything from completing imports to ringing a supplier or completing a project. We also have engagement groups within the scheme to go present the scheme to schools, do site tours or run social engagement tasks.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

5/5

I couldn't be happier. The scheme provides a great work/life balance and we have flexi time to start between 7-9 and then finish between 3:30-5:30 Monday to Thursday and Fridays are 5 hour days with no weekends.
The rotations give you a wide range of experience and a huge network, with the degree linking to everything you do so its more practical. Our apprentice lead Steph is very approachable and knowledgeable and everyone I have met on site so far has been so lovely and has helped developed my skill and knowledge with their experience.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

5/5

I have developed my interpersonal skills and system skills greatly in my first 6 months. My communication skills have improved the most which is important when we work on a huge site with lots of different external suppliers and brokers to deal with. The systems we use at GE can be overwhelming at first but are picked up quickly and will be used consistently throughout your rotations. We also develop our leadership and management skills through Uni and our rotations. Everyday is a learning day.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

4/5

We complete a new rotation every six months until our final rotation which is 12 months and within these we have three separate reviews throughout to monitor progress against CMI, set SMART goals and uni progress. We also have a uni review every quarter to monitor progress against CMI criteria.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

5/5

We get a lot of support through our regular reviews and can always get in contact with our apprentice lead or line manager when needed to query anything and they do their best to support us even when we have issues outside of work which is always appreciated. We also have mentors to help us with any issues in or out of work which is great when being so new to the business

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

5/5

Our lecturer is always an email, text or call away and replies very quickly to any queries or concerns we have. The Uni also have the online library and academic resources we can use which is just another layer of support on top of our lecturer and managers/mentors at GE

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

5/5

When doing certain modules like leadership styles and communication it makes you think about how yourself and other apply that to the role and workplace and by being more aware helps you develop continue and considers for that role. It ultimately helps shape you by bringing the theory and experience together

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

5/5

We have multiple engagement groups; social engagement, school engagement, volunteering, site tours, finance etc. These help develop our CMI skills further and provide evidence of us demonstrating these skills.
The social engagement committee is new and attempting to bring some more official social activities and sports afternoons to the site but prior to this and covid there is a lot of social engagement off site with those in the scheme.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend GE Aerospace to a friend?

Yes

Why?

The pay is amazing for an apprentice and goes up every year which is a big incentive, we get good holiday entitlement and benefits such as private medical which is a huge bonus. The site is huge and has so much going on and allows so much exposure to the business.
GE spend a lot of time and money investing in apprentices and the scheme and lots of successful leaders have been made from it

What tips or advice would you give to others applying to GE Aerospace?

I would advise you to learn what you can about GE Aviation and the Cheltenham site and to think about what you want to get out of applying for this scheme as its a four year commitment. Make sure to be yourself and be enthusiastic and thoughtful on why you want to start your career like this

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