Apprentice Civil Engineer Review

The apprenticeship is set up so you get to do secondments in different departments across the company, which is really useful for understanding how a civil engineering business works as a whole and what goes into delivering a project. It also keeps things interesting because no two days are the same. Personally, I find that a lot more enjoyable than doing the same repetitive tasks all the time.

From what I’ve heard from other apprentices and assessors at college, CML’s programme is genuinely one of the best and most well-structured out there. The training team are great and have put together a really robust programme that has proven results. We start writing quarterly reports straight away, which helps a lot when it comes to gathering evidence for EPA. A lot of other apprentices I’ve spoken to didn’t really know what was expected of them and didn’t get much guidance, so it definitely feels like we’re well supported in comparison. We’re also given plenty of time to work on assignments, and the apprentice manager is always approachable if you’ve got any questions or concerns. My only real downside would be that the end point isn’t always that clear - with varying academic dates and EPA deadlines, it’s a bit unclear exactly when I’ll be fully qualified and no longer classed as an apprentice.

Honestly, I don’t think I could reasonably ask for more support - short of someone doing the apprenticeship for me. It is a demanding role, as is any apprenticeship, but the support from the training team (and everyone across the business, for that matter) is genuinely great. I’ve seen other CML apprentices go through really tough periods, and the level of support they received was immense - the company really helped them get back on track and to where they needed to be.
The company is really involved with college, setting up regular meetings and keeping track of our progress. It can sometimes feel like there’s a bit less freedom compared to other companies' apprentices, but honestly I’d take that kind of positive pressure over being left to figure everything out alone. I’ve seen apprentices at other companies struggle because no one was really checking in on things like attendance or grades, so they didn't have that driving force behind them and ended up falling short of the mark. Overall, people across the business understand how much effort it takes to balance a full-time job with studying, so they’re generally very supportive.

The majority of the tutors at college were helpful and easy to get in touch with. Most were happy to check your work and offer advice to help push you to the next level. Each student is also assigned a personal assessor, which is a big help throughout the course and when preparing for EPA.
However, the college admin hasn’t been great, and we were often left in the dark about basic things like term start and finish dates. There were times you’d turn up to a lecture and no tutor would be there, with no prior warning. This obviously affected our ability to meet deadlines. To be fair though, extensions were sometimes given, but not always. It also felt quite common for work to need remarking, which I don’t think should really be the norm. It felt as if students who didn’t speak up were penalised and left with lower grades, which I don’t think is at all conducive to or supportive of our education
In my honest opinion, the college isn’t the best or most professional establishment. At times, it felt like instead of working to a clear set of criteria on what needed to be learned and demonstrated, you were trying to match whatever a particular tutor was looking for, which could sometimes be quite abstract and not communicated effectively. That said, it did get me the grades I wanted and ultimately did the job - just not as smoothly as it could have.

When I first started my apprenticeship, I assumed I would be learning new things at college and transferring that over to work; however, it has been quite the opposite. In all honesty, for me, college has seemed more like a formality rather than a learning opportunity. CML have done a great job at teaching me new things at work, and I really don’t know if I would have done so well in my academics if I hadn’t been getting this additional knowledge. I personally don’t think that should have to be the case. This is a negative on the college though, and a positive for CML.

Yes

In fact, I have recommended CML to a friend; I think it’s a great place to work. Some of the experiences you can gain here are unmatched. They’re really apprentice-oriented, and because it’s a slightly smaller company, you don’t just fall between the cracks. You get one-to-one support throughout, and the work you do is genuinely meaningful.