Aerospace Apprentice Review

I take part in 4 month placements in various teams through out the business across my apprenticeship, leading to a final 2 year exit role. My day to day will be very different for each placement, though they all centre around experiencing different sectors of the aerospace engineering industry. I could be working with live aircraft on a formal RAF site, or designing new components in a BAE Office and so on. My roles are intended to vary to give my a wider understanding of the industry, helping educate me on exactly what I want to do.

There are a few questionable areas surrounding the degree portion of the apprenticeship, though this is more in relation to its delivery from Blackpool and Fylde College, not BAE Systems. This has been a point of contention several times between the apprentices and those running our scheme. It was in some cases failed to be rectified, though this is again mostly seen as an issue with the academic delivery at B&FC. The placements and initial training that is solely under BAE Systems is, in my opinion, better structured and more efficient. It is more often checked and improved when feedback is given also, rather than issues becoming re-occurring.

I receive a lot of support for various things. I struggle with a few learning and developmental conditions, namely ASD and ADHD, and my employer has done the upmost to support me there. I have access to groups for emotional support in the company's Employee Resource Groups and have academic support in terms of completing my apprenticeship standards. I was also given support during a time of mental health struggle. Those in the pastoral support team for Early Careers helped me far more than I ever thought could be done, and frankly better than the NHS did.

This would depend on the Qualification in question and who is delivering it.
The level 2 Diploma, delivered by BAE, was supported well and had many contingency plans to help those who struggled or had extenuating circumstances during the work for it.
The level 4 Diploma, also delivered by BAE, again has much on going support with dedicated Skills coaches who are assigned a group of apprentices to work with. These staff members can co-ordinate further support as well, if it is outside their reach, such as support for developmental conditions.
The level 6 Degree, delivered by B&FC, does not have the same support from BAE Systems as it is primarily run by our training provider. B&FC also has a strong support network with many staff on hand to cater for the same struggles I have described. Lecturers are generally very supportive too, though the previous points of contention I described earlier sometimes surround their feedback on assignment submissions. Some give next to none at all, and one could denote this as a lack of support.
Outside of this issue though, the "HELMs" (Higher Education Learner Mentors) of B&FC are very supportive and well organised. Structures are in place to allow easy access to their support and are well linked with the BAE side of Learner support. There isn't much organisational inefficiency in the way and the teams have a good history working together, is how it appears from my external viewing point.

The level 2 was dependant on work and training completed in dedication to that qualification, though the experience has come in handy in some instances, particularly CAD training for myself as I am very partial to a bit of digital design work!
The level 4 is also sort of an inverse as it is more a measuring of the work we perform out on placements. It can be said, though, that searching for work that will be good evidence for that level 4 drives us to take on more important and better developing and up-skilling work, rather than whatever is easy or presented to us!
The level 6 is where the majority of direct training takes place, and its both give and take (in a reciprocal sense, not detraction) as for how it up-skills us for our roles. It teaches a great deal and more of the same skills seen in the level 2 re appear in more detail, like CAD training. Likewise, skills learnt out in placements educate us on ways to approach our degree better as well, and example I have experienced is training on MATLAB Simulink through a work placement, which later became a vital tool in an assignment on the degree (hence give and take). Both compliment each other well!

Yes

Because I have been given both job security AND the opportunity to jump around, pick and choose, all in one. I don't know of any other opportunity I've had that gives me the time to comfortably seek out my vocation while keeping me on secure payroll. The experiences I've had, the places I've been and people I've seen have made this role the best I could have had. It isn't easy in some areas, doing a degree and a high level job at once has been tough for me at times as I have some neurological conditions, but the opportunities out weight this in leaps and bounds. They trust me to do the kind of work I didn't think I'd get to touch until 5 or 10 years into my career.