Nuclear Mechanical Engineer Apprentice Review
at AWE
Degree Apprenticeship
Mechanical Engineering
Aldermaston
Review Submitted: April 2025
Overall Rating
2.8 /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
-
Overview of Role
4/5
-
Skills Development
1.8/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
It varies depending on my placement. Typical days of work consist of team meetings, CAD work, document writing, document checking, and visits to other facilities.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I enjoy the variety of work available to me, I feel there is the potential to develop a wide skill set
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
CAD, DOORS, report writing, presentation skills, and workshop skills such as milling and turning.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
1/5
Very unorganised. There's a clear lack of communication between work and the education provider. The structure of placements onsite feels very disordered, most teams onsite are unfamiliar with this apprenticeships structure and unfortunately your line managers don't know much more. So when you first start you are sort of left on your own. In the first year, you spend most of your time away at university so you aren't living close to site but this isn't communicated clearly before you join. This led to several of us being stuck in a contract renting a place we were barely living in, wasting money. This has been a repeated issue for first years on this course and is repeatedly happening because the communication from work is so poor.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
2/5
Pastoral support is incredible. I know I could reach out to various people during my time here for whatever reason and get the help I need.
Support regarding the structure of this apprenticeship is much poorer though, this is not due to a lack of people wanting to help/trying but because it seems people don't know. Answers seem to vary depending on who you ask, there's a lack of consistency.
Support regarding the structure of this apprenticeship is much poorer though, this is not due to a lack of people wanting to help/trying but because it seems people don't know. Answers seem to vary depending on who you ask, there's a lack of consistency.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
1/5
Not much, you're left to your own devices
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
1/5
I feel the overall knowledge gained from the training provider is poor. I feel I learn so much more onsite than I ever do at college.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
There's lots of groups to join in both a professional capacity and a more informal one.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend AWE to a friend?
No
Why?
The onboarding process is so long and the local area is not great
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to AWE?
Be yourself
