Aircraft maintenance apprentice Review
at British Airways
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Engineering
Heathrow Airport (LHR), Longford TW6, UK
Review Submitted: May 2021
Overall Rating
3.3 /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!
3.5/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
2.6/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
My day to day role is to gain experience within an engineering environment and learn from other more experienced engineers. I am developing my knowledge and practical skills in order to become a competent engineer in the future. I work 12 hour 4 on 4 off shifts alongside the other engineers.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
3/5
I enjoy going to work and learning how to develop myself as a person. I sometimes find it difficult as I work very long hours and have to be up early in the morning. I enjoy the current work area that I am in however some of the work areas the staff are not as welcoming towards apprentices.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
I have developed many different skills. I have developed my theoretical knowledge and completed around 15 exams as well as multiple nvq coursework qualifications. I have also developed my hand skills and have learnt many different manufacturing techniques. I have also learnt how to best complete jobs and use a wide variety of tools.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
1/5
The company is not particularly organised however this isn't always their fault due to the coronavirus pandemic. A lot of the placement and dates which we need to know are not found out until the last minute. This can make it difficult to plan events that are outside of work.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
I receive a lot of support from my employer as they have enabled me to do a lot of training courses. They also do their best to look after all the apprentices with fairly regular welfare zoom calls that enable us to raise any issues that we may have at work.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
We receive a lot of support from our dedicated assessor who helps us work through our nvq qualifications. We can contact them via Microsoft teams or phone calls if we have any issues. However the company as a whole can be difficult to contact if you need to book a course or retake exam.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
Overall the experience with the training provider was good and they helped us progress accordingly through our qualifications. The training which they provide has helped me with both the theoretical and practical elements of my job. Therefore they allow me to perform better in the day to day role which I have.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
1/5
There are not any direct extra curricular activities that my work have offered for me to do outside of work. Usually our group of apprentices will organise an event ourselves as we are a close knit group of individuals. For example we have organised our own work parties and sports teams.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend British Airways to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Overall I would recommend them as they provide a lot of training opportunities and they pay very competitively when compared to other airlines. They also provide lots of on the job opportunities and actively encourage apprentices to developed themselves so that they will be much better engineers in the future.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to British Airways?
My advice would be to always make sure that you work to the best of your ability. If you do this then British Airways will reward you with all the opportunities which you require in order to develop your career. Hard work and effort is my main tip for this looking at applying.
