JLR Advanced Apprenticeship or College and University?

Hello there I am currently studying in year 11 and have a problem?

When I finish yeah 11 and hope to achieve all A*-Cs I don't know whether to do the Automotive Advanced Apprenticeship at JLR or go to College and University.

If I obtain 5 GCSE (A* - C) I can apply for an Automotive Advanced Apprenticeship at Jaguar Land Rover which would help me learn and do work at the same time. After completing this scheme I could earn over £650 a week if I chose and get a place there which I would do if had the opportunity.

If I chose to go College I would like to do the BTEC Level 3 Diploma Electrical/ Electronic Engineering which is two years long (Need 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above including Science, Additional Science (or Physics & Chemistry), English & Maths (preferably taken at Higher Tier). After completing this A level equivalent course I would like to go to University and do the course, Mechanical Engineering (MEng/BEng (Hons) < Can someone explain what this means) which is 3 years full-time and in one of those years apparently you go somewhere you want to work for one year so in one of those year I want to go to JLR and do the Undergraduate Product Engineering where I will be earning £15,600 for one year. Then after I finish this course get my degree I would like to apply for an Automotive Engineer role where I could be earning alot of money > Starter: £20,000 to £26,000. Experienced: £30,000 to £40,000. Higher Experienced: £45,000+. These figures are a guide.
Completing the Automotive Advanced Apprenticeship at JLR > How much would I be earning as a Automotive Engineer from the salaries above ^.
From what I said about going to College and University > How much would I be earning as an Automotive Engineer from the salaries above ^.

Also which one should I go for and which one would be beneficial for me? Any information would do. PLEASE HELP!

Thank You

Hi, I know exactly how you feel!! I've just left Year 11 and couldn't decide until results day whether to take an engineering apprenticeship of college so I completely understand.

It seems to me that you really want to work for JLR, judging by what you would do at university and the year in industry.

BTW the MEng/BEng is Master or Bachelor of Engineering with the Bachelors being 3 years and Masters 4 Years.

Have you applied to JLR?

Have you also asked anyone at your school what you should do (i know sometimes, like mine, they don't always offer any good advice, but it might be worth a try).

If you want to know any more about my experiences, feel free to ask

Yeah I definitely want to work at JLR as an Automotive Engineer. A
Also what did you do in the end?
Which would of the two would you have chosen and which is best?
Heres what I was thinking I apply for the Automotive AA JLR scheme as it takes 1 year if I am accepted I will go through with it and if not I will just go through with the other option.. At them minute I haven't asked anyone yet but I will ask my teachers and see what they think.. I am happy with either option thought as long as I get Cs or above in every subject. Thanks for replying btw

Well I went for the apprenticeship, contrary to the teachers opinions who said go to college.

The way I saw it, I'd only applied to have the experience of an interview so that I could apply to them after college but as I did more and more research I thought why not give it a go now, provided I got it. When I got the conditional, I just thought to myself, well I've got in now so I may as well try it and see if it's for me, rather than decline it and go to college, only to reapply in two years and find out I'm unsuccessful. I'd agree with you and say apply and see if you get offered a place. If you do, take it, but if you don't then go to college and see the rest of your educational career through.

Let me know what you think

I agree with everything you've said and good choice for the apprenticeship you'll gain alot of experience. Also did you go for the Advanced Apprenticeship? If you did which one, I wanna do the Automotive one? Also what GCSE exams results did you get?

Yes I'm an advanced apprentice in aeronautical engineering. At GCSE I got 9A*s and a Distinction (equivalent to A)

The thing is I am not sure I will get in because people who get in get A's and B's whereas I get C's and some B's. I will basically tell you what I probably will get.
English Literature and Language - Grade 6 (Solid B)
Science Core and Additional - C
RE - B
History - C
Maths - Grade 4 (Low C) or 5 (C/B)
BTEC Business - Distinction

Do you think I will be able to get in and do you know people who got in the AA scheme with similar grades to these?

Listen , honestly don't worry about that!

Your grades only make up part of your applications and things like a CV, personal statement and references, as well as how you present yourself at interview make the world of difference. If they say they will take on those with A-C then they should definitely consider you. And, there are a good number of students on the course with me who have no As or A*s. Your predicted grades are not bad so don't be disheartened - definitely apply!

A thing to possibly consider, not to put you off at all, but if you are concerned about how competitive you may be, then think of it this way, at Advanced apprentice level, you need Cs but when you've done A-levels, there may be even more people with possibly higher grades at A-level and GCSE who may be applying. This was something that was a deciding factor for me, because as you complete higher levels of education, there are not only more people applying for each role, but also more people with different backgrounds and results.

Sometimes it's better to get your foot in the door early, but only if you are comfortable in doing so. If you are only worried if you'll get in, then I would suggest you apply and the worst that can happen is they say no, but at least you know by then

Hope this helps

Thanks you're really helpful mate.. Hopefully I get accepted I always wanted to work in JLR, its like a dream to me. Well congrats for getting accepted lol, bit late though. Also how long did it take for you to be accepted? What kind of questions were asked in the tests and what did you do at the assessment centre?

No problem! And thank you - good luck with your application!

Basically the majority of the questions in aptitude cover things which are done at GCSE maths, with other tests in reasoning. At the interview you need to know about the company, but apart from that I can't remember the other questions.

From the interview it took about a month before we heard back, but this might have changed.

Good luck

If I chose to go College I would like to do the BTEC Level 3 Diploma Electrical/ Electronic Engineering which is two years long (Need 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above including Science, Additional Science (or Physics & Chemistry), English & Maths (preferably taken at Higher Tier). After completing this A level equivalent course I would like to go to University and do the course, Mechanical Engineering (MEng/BEng (Hons) < Can someone explain what this means)
Masters and Bachelors, you couldn't do the MEng without the BEng. The BEng would be enough for a graduate job

which is 3 years full-time and in one of those years apparently you go somewhere you want to work for one year so in one of those year I want to go to JLR and do the Undergraduate Product Engineering where I will be earning £15,600 for one year. Then after I finish this course get my degree I would like to apply for an Automotive Engineer role where I could be earning alot of money > Starter: £20,000 to £26,000. Experienced: £30,000 to £40,000. Higher Experienced: £45,000+. These figures are a guide.
Completing the Automotive Advanced Apprenticeship at JLR > How much would I be earning as a Automotive Engineer from the salaries above From what I said about going to College and University > How much would I be earning as an Automotive Engineer from the salaries above ^.

If you do the advanced? £35,000 in a hands on role. If you went the degree route, £36,000 in an office based role.

You seem set on JLR, so what do you want to do? What job do you want?

Yes I definitely want to work in JLR as an Automotive Engineer.

So what does an automotive engineer do?

What do you envision your job being?

Automotive engineers design, develop, test and build cars and motorbikes.

I want to do something automotive related. There are different types of automotive jobs but I want to try each one and see which one I enjoy and like the most.

No engineer designs a car start to finish, so what interests you?

Testing, engine design, body design, lighting, electrical?

You won't be involved in design if you're on the advanced, so I would suggest do A-Level and go for the higher apprenticeship.

I either want to do body or engine design in automotive or become an Auto-Electrician at JLR. Also I have applied for the AA and have completed the first test. Just waiting for a response

Both those design jobs require A-Levels and a degree, so the degree apprenticeship would be more appropriate.

You would not be designing the entire car or entire engine, you would be tasked with designing a section of it.

What do you envisage an auto-electrician doing?