Aerospace Engineering Degree Apprentice Review

As an Engineering Degree Apprentice, in my second year, everyday is different from the next. Currently I am working in an Integration team, with the purpose of bridging the gap between engineers and customers. My daily interaction occurs between my team and line manager, which brings the opportunity to network with those in the wider business. Some of my current tasks include making GANT charts, setting up Jira cards and Confluence pages to promote agile working. The integration team primarily work on Typhoon.

The entire course is 5 years long.
- Some training
- Set of placements
- Exit Role
- College once a week for the duration of the course
- LPR (Learner Progress Reviews) conducted every 10 - 12 weeks
For our cohort we completed a year in the ASK (Academy of Skills & Knowledge) - BAE training facility.
Since then I had the opportunity to venture out into the business on placement. As of our cohort a placement is 4 months long, where we gain the experience of working in various areas of the business. I will have 6 placements before an exit role, which is a 2 year long placement.

There is a lot of support provided by BAE, including mental and physical wellbeing. Everyone is more than happy to help. The range of support is immense, for instance, the cohort, skills coaches, capability and wider business. They are here for your best interest. My Line manager is fantastic, quickly answers questions and open to new ideas towards continuous improvement.

The training provider may differ depending upon your scheme. For me, it is Blackpool and Fylde College (BFC). They do facilitate mental and physical wellbeing however their can be a delayed response when submitting assignments for a formative review. Some of my previous assignment briefs have been vague, however they are becoming clearer and specific, by including a template structure and prompts.

This will differ per person. It really depends upon your placement/team responsibility. The topic covered at college are technically orientated, such as controls and structures. For me, the majority of the BFC content has not been applicable throughout my placements so far. There are some positives, such as report layout, understanding of engineering life cycle, steps required during engineering design, have excelled the rate of my development

Yes

It is a fantastic company which feels like a family. If you are looking for a route into engineering or anything related, this is definitely the place to get your foot into the door. There are endless opportunities, based upon your interest. By choosing one, will open many more doors.