Quality inspector apprentice Review
at AWE
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Engineering
Reading
Review Submitted: April 2025
Overall Rating
3.1 /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!
2/5
-
Overview of Role
3/5
-
Skills Development
2.8/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
3/5
As I am nearing the end of my apprenticeship I am currently slotted into the team I will be joining upon finishing my apprenticeship, this involves me completing inspection tasks on tooling and completing documentation checks.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
1/5
At its base it is a good programme however my time with AWE has been mired with complications and issues which have caused immense stress and required hard work to get through.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
3/5
I have learned how to use several advanced machines and specialist software's.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
3/5
When I began the programme wasn't very well structured however, with recent staff hiring many of these structure problems have been resolved and I imagine it will continue to improve over the next several years.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
3/5
I receive a good amount of support, I have pastoral care meetings, consistent 1 to 1 meetings with my manager and advisor, I have access to UNUM and several other health (both physical and mental) care services.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
2/5
A decent amount, the greatest issue is that we do not have enough advisors compared to the amount of apprentices making it very difficult to consistently arrange meetings that are used to provide feedback and guidance.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
In truth my qualification and training, while useful, isn't massively relevant to my actual job-role due to the variety of work that is considered as part of quality assurance however, as we receive training while actually on the job we are prepared for our out-turn into the business.
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
Yes, there's several groups/clubs including things like the recreational society, charity events and other small clubs that are arranged between individuals.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AWE to a friend?
Yes
Why?
The jobs are well paid, comfy and secure with very little worry about the company going out of business.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to AWE?
Do not treat AWE as some mythical place, it isn't, it is a place built and run by normal people and is filled with the problems and issues you find in any business, in some cases these issues are even worse than most other places of work due to the deep scrutiny that any work produced must go through. Don't expect work to be quick, don't expect everything to be perfect and most definitely don't expect anything to be simple.
