Machining Technician Review

Item: Machining Technician at BMW Group UK
Rating: 4.4
Author: Anonymous

at BMW Group UK

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Automotive Engineering

Coleshill, Warwickshire

Review Submitted: April 2026

Overall Rating

4.4 /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

4/5 - 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

My Job role includes operating a process on a machining line. There are several processes across one part of the machining line in order to achieve high grade cylinder heads for BMW. This is one of three lines in Machining BMW. The other two produce crankcases/cylinder blocks and crankshafts. The processes on each line are called AFOs. I work on the start of the cylinder head line, maintaining the integrity of the machines, fault finding and troubleshooting, as well as doing a number of checks to ensure quality of the parts we produce on each machine in order to bring high satisfaction to our internal and external customers.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

5/5

The work is wonderful, incredibly interesting, and highly engaging. I find it that I learn something new everyday, and find how it connects into a much bigger system that holds everything together. Since my completion of my first year in this apprenticeship and my entry into the second year, my skills, knowledge and more have expanded greatly. And I find myself enjoying each day.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

5/5

I have developed technical understanding through working in different areas of BMW Group Hams Hall Machining through both physical and digital training. There are many processes that require both hardware and software based understanding and with the knowledge I have gained through the systems in place, the programs used (such as NC Programming, softwares such as PSS Evaluation and the Graphic Line Overview) have deeply enriched my technical thinking and more.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

3/5

The organisation/structure is not the best. There are a number of times where I have felt a deep lack of structure in placements when it comes to the objectives that I need to complete as well as the training that I must receive to become qualified and complete the placement.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

5/5

Support is great. I have been through a number of issues, and the employer is always a helping hand in a number of manners.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

3/5

The support received is good and well met, however, there are times where they fall through as due to them there is a backlog of work we have not been able to complete at times, and other topics.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

4/5

The health and safety information and training that we receive from our training provider is great as well as the electrical and mechanical skills that we develop. It grants us a better understanding of what occurs during manufacturing processes at work. However, I do not feel a substantial gain in performance from the knowledge we acquire at college.