Mechatronic Apprentice Review

Item: Mechatronic Apprentice at Babcock International Group
Rating: 1
Author: Anonymous

at Babcock International Group

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Engineering

Telford

Review Submitted: April 2023

Overall Rating

1 /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!

1/5 - Overview of Role

1/5 - Skills Development

1/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

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

1/5

My role is a mechatronic apprentice achievening a BTEC and NVQ in Advanced Manufacturing Maintenance. Day to day roles depend on what section I am currently at. Currently in engineering services, which involves a lot of administration and networking.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

1/5

I enjoy some aspects of the job, but on the whole the apprenticeship scheme has been mismanaged, misaligned and filled with unfulfilled promises, and has not been the type of programme I would have deemed as fitting for a FTSE 250 company.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

1/5

Not to the level I would like, skills developed have been mainly from the academic side. Mentoring has been mismanaged and the culture for apprentices is seen as an after-thought in the workplace.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

1/5

Structure is confusing. Reviews were not used until late in our second year. Rotations for skills learning were either non-existent or have no basis on our apprenticeship. Now, our only goal is to complete the apprenticeship and hope for the best.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

1/5

There are certain people who do provide emotional and support, but generally these people are hamstrung and cannot do anything. Support has only been down to regulatory obligations, many issues raised, non listened to.

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

1/5

Now in the middle of our third year, there is another year ahead of us that is going through the same issues we may face. Unfortunately, it is deemed as not a worry unless there are major issues with the year ahead. So no support as of yet, but it is early.

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

1/5

Unfortunately, there has been a misalignment of our roles in the workplace and the qualification we are achieving. The qualification we are working towards is generally based on manufacturing and maintenance. This was based on an ill-fated hope that we would be getting more complex work. (Turret upgrades, Ajax platform).

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

Some people go to the pub on a Thursday evening.
I have tried to get more apprentice competitions (they used to do these before), more involving in STEM in schools, as well as visits to other sites, but was not deemed appropriate for the business.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Babcock International Group to a friend?

Why?

While I believe that the company is undergoing a culture shift and a better working environment. I believe that the culture of apprentices within the workplace has greatly fallen off the mark and would not recommend the apprenticeship as it is poor.

What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Babcock International Group?

If it is the company you want to work for and not try to learn a trade or progress within yourself, then I believe that it is a good company to work for. However the training, apprenticeships and the progression of the workforce is lacking.

View All Company Reviews