Higher Level Commercial Apprentice Review

Within my role in the Naval Nuclear sector of the business, my main responsibility is to support my line manager with their workload, providing ad-hoc help as well as managing my own workload. Common activities within my role include putting change into contract, constructing NDAs and regular communication with the customer. I am also often involved in other activities such as training courses and personal/professional development workshops.

I believe that my programme is well structured and that through each 6 month rotation it allows me to gain a wide range of skills which gives me an understanding of how the Naval Nuclear sector operates. Alongside this, I think that the Level 5 Operations Management course I was offered alongside my usual workload is beneficial for practical application. However, I would like if there was more communication regarding where our future placements are expected to be or when we may be moving as this would help when deciding if work needs to be closed down or a handover needs to be created.

I believe that I receive a good level of support from my employer and am confident that if there was anything I was concerned about/struggling with that someone would try to support me. However, from talking to the Graduates within the Commercial department that I have encountered, I believe that as a HLA, other than my Line Manager and the team around me, I don’t receive the same level of support, guidance or concern as those on the graduate scheme do. I appreciate the processes currently in place such as buddies and mentors however it may be nice/beneficial to have regular monthly check-ins with someone whose dedicated role is around the graduate/apprenticeship scheme such as the Early Careers team or similar functions to discuss workload, pressures, college, and the apprenticeship scheme in general.

My training provider (CMI) I believe are very supportive with working towards my qualification as well as with my apprenticeship in general including general workload and pressures. They schedule regular reviews where we are asked how we are doing and if there is anything we are concerned about/anything they can support us with. I feel that if there was something I was worried about/struggling with I would feel confidence to approach either one of my tutors and feel that they would handle this well. I do think that sometimes deadlines can be restrictive and stressful if you are busy in work however I am confident that from speaking to both my line manager and tutor, a resolution could be easily found.

I believe that my college work benefits my day-to-day performance within my role as it teaches me the practical elements that can't otherwise be picked up through shadowing my line manager, such as stakeholder interaction. As well as this, it allows me to evaluate the impact of topics such as stakeholder interaction on a business and its success, rather than thinking of it on the surface level. It is beneficial that within each class and assignment, we are continuously asked to apply our learning to Babcock.

Yes

I would recommend Babcock to a friend as I feel that it is a wide and diverse business that has great advancement opportunities. I would particularly recommend the HLA scheme to anyone looking at their next steps after A-Levels/College etc as it allows you to not only study and gain a qualification, but you are given the opportunity to apply this in a supportive, practical work environment.