Project Controls Apprentice Review

Being an apprentice means going to different placements around the organisation to get a wide range of experience. Project controls encompasses the technical and analytical side of projects and controlling the various aspects: cost, schedule, estimation and risk. These 4 areas are the different placements that I will go into. My day-to-day involves sitting a desk, networking with others all of the time, looking at spreadsheets, sending emails, constructing schedules, and analysing risks.

The programme is structured really well, however, it wasn't very organised at the start. The other apprentices on the same course as me that started the years before, had a different training provider before AWE decided to switch our colleges. This meant that everything was quite new when we started to not just us, but our trainers and placement managers. This also meant we couldn't ask current apprentices for help when it comes to college work because we are learning somewhere different. Now that I have been here for 6 months, I feel very well organised within the programme. However, at the start, I didn't feel like anyone knew exactly what we were meant to be doing.

I receive a lot of support. I have a training manager, a placement manager and a line manager. This means that I have support in various areas if I need it. I have weekly and monthly catch-ups with all of my managers which helps to keep me updated and involved with my apprenticeship. I am also aware of all of the systems in place on site for support if I need it. We have a wellbeing team within the training academy on site, but we also have wellbeing members in every office. I have not needed to use any of these support services but I know exactly who to contact if I needed/wanted it.

My training provider provides in-depth lectures each month on a different topic and then sets us assignments to test our knowledge from the lecture. Whilst we only have a lesson once a month, I can contact my teacher/tutor any time and they will get back to me quickly with an answer. Any and all questions that I have had, they have been answered. I feel very supported by my training provider in the sense that I am aware of anything going on to do with my qualification and I understand how to progress on the course.

Anything that I am learning throughout my qualification so far, has been really important for my performance in my role at work. This is because my training provider gives me the theory side of the work whilst my placements in the business provides me with the practical learning that I require. This is really beneficial as the theory and practical link closely together and help to support each other. By learning the theory first, I am able to perform better practically because I have some experience and prior knowledge. By learning the practical first, I am able to perform better theoretically because I have had some prior hands-on experience.

Yes

AWE is a great organisation to be a part of. I feel like I am really going to be able to develop in my role because of how large AWE is as a business, there is so much room for constant growth. I would recommend AWE to anybody because of this.