Engineering Degree Apprentice Review
at JLR
Degree Apprenticeship
Automotive Engineering, Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Gaydon
Review Submitted: April 2026
Overall Rating
4.5 /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!
5/5
-
Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
4.2/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
Moving to a new role every 3-6 months to experience different areas of the business, from CAD to product design to testing and manufacturing. Day-to-day lots of data management and analysis, hands-on testing and CAD/CAE.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
I am well supported in my role and the balance between university and JLR is managed well, JLR understands the limitations that a degree apprenticeship causes and is able to strike a good balance of how much work to give apprentices.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
Learnt how to use CAD, specific testing procedures, work collaboratively and work with large data sets.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
Sometimes there is friction in communications between JLR and the university, but this is usually shielded from affecting apprentices significantly, there's a very clear structure that is set out at the start of each year, and kept stable.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
There is an extensive early-careers cohort enabling a strong community both in and outside of work, and managers are very familiar with apprenticeships, making communication easier. There is also a support structure specifically for apprentices that works closely with the university.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
Communication with the university can lack sometimes but overall the quality of teaching has been good, and regular check-ins with tutors provide support if needed.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
I will always learn quicker on the job than I'm able to at university, but for topics I have yet to encounter at work it provides a very solid base to build on.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
5/5
Outside of general team socials (which are quite common) the early careers community organise roughly biweekly social and networking events and regular sports teams.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend JLR to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I feel much more supported than what I've heard from other apprenticeships, the large cohort builds a sense of community like a university cohort, organising similar socials and trips. The size of JLR and the ease at which you can move around allows you to try a variety of positions to find what you enjoy most, there's so much more variety than I ever thought there would be in a car company.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to JLR?
You are well supported so don't worry about feeling underqualified at first, you'll soon be caught up enough to work as well as anyone else. Focus more on why you want to work here, and your work ethic/capacity to learn.
