Apprentice technical engineer Review
at Centrica
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Engineering
Hamilton
Review Submitted: May 2021
Overall Rating
3.5 /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!
4/5
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Overview of Role
4/5
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Skills Development
3.2/5
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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
The apprenticeship is a mix of college and practical patch experience. On patch I shadow one of the service and repair engineers in my area and do the work they are tasked with with their supervision and guidance. In the college we do a mix of practical tasks and classroom learning.
Tasks cover gas appliances, plumbing and some electrics.
Tasks cover gas appliances, plumbing and some electrics.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I enjoy it very much. I am learning a lot of skills that are both very fun and will help me a lot in the future, both in my career path and in what I would like to be and do in my personal life. It's very exciting becoming someone who is capable and able to become more independent in my personal life.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
I have learned a wide range of skills. I've learned a lot about gas safety as that is my primary skill in this job but gas engineering involves a range of other trades including electrics, plumbing, building skills including joinery, plastering and brickwork. I've also learned how to properly use a variety of tools and power tools, and a wide range of health and safety considerations. Most of my skills will carry over into other parts of my life.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
2/5
It was difficult with the covid crisis as we had to work online for 5 months. This was far more disruptive than I even expected as it meant we were expected to pile a ton of information into our heads with no practical learning to back it up and solidify our understanding.
I like the structure despite this.
I like the structure despite this.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
I receive a fair amount of support from my employer when I ask but in general I feel apprentices get bit forgotten about, especially with all the commotion that's been going on in the company lately. However, I really appreciate the trust and independence I get from my manager. My mentors are exceedingly helpful.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
It's not always clear what's going on with this side of things and I don't feel we've been well informed at all stages about what's been going on. I fee the admin teams don't communicate with each other very well, however I am fairly happy with everything.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
My qualification will be very important as it's essential to be gas safe registered to even work in this job. British Gas seems to be providing a very thorough and high quality training that will be priceless in any future job that I do. They are very thorough with our learning.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
3/5
No there are not. There used to be a duke of edinburgh award but they decided to cut it out and to be honest I am very happy about it. I find the apprenticeship already takes a huge amount of time in trying to balance the college and patch activities both in and outside work hours.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Centrica to a friend?
Yes
Why?
What i have learned and will learn in this course has been incredibly useful. The training we get is unparalleled and I really appreciate the large range of skills that we cover in the academy and on patch. I really enjoy the people I work with as well, the best thing about this company is the engineers who have taken time to teach me everything they know.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Centrica?
I would say go for it if this is what you really want to do, but be prepared to work hard. You could do the minimum and scrape past in this trade but the opportunities offered in this apprenticeship are ideal for those who want to put the time in and work hard.
