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Ask about Engineering Apprenticeships

Hi Everyone, I began my first apprenticeship in September 2018 and began my degree level apprenticeship in September 2020 and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
(edited 3 years ago)

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Original post by Gerbler
Hi Everyone, I am in the second year of an engineering apprenticeship and will be happy to answer any queries.

Hi, sorry you've not had any responses to this yet - just giving it a quick bump, so hopefully someone will be along soon :smile:

What's your experience been like so far? :biggrin:
It has been good, it is important for everyone to know however the level of commitment required when doing one. A lot of people just see that you get paid and get a job as well as qualifications. But it isn't like that. You may still live with your parents (like me) and be able to afford almost anything but what people don't realise is that you are working through all the holidays, staying late to work etc when all your friends are going out and having fun.

In my opinion, it is much better than college/uni but you still have to be aware of the downsides as you could be charged the costs of your course if you decide to leave.
Original post by shadowdweller
Hi, sorry you've not had any responses to this yet - just giving it a quick bump, so hopefully someone will be along soon :smile:

What's your experience been like so far? :biggrin:
1.what type of engineering are you doing?
2.how hard was the selection process?
3.what are your previous qualifications?
4.how much are you earning?
5.what uni do you go to study+how often do you do this?
6.why are engineering apprenticeships so long.This is probs the main reason im stuck on choosing an apprenticeship, 5 years seems so long.

P.S. ive heard that the time you spend as an apprenticeship (e.g. learning,shadowing) is dependent on your previous qualification e.g. someone who did maths and physics a-levels will spend less time than someone who did a level 3/4 BTEC.
Did you have to do an entrance exam ?
Was it hard ?
Any tips?
What questions/topics were covered in the test?
Original post by loazing21
1.what type of engineering are you doing?
2.how hard was the selection process?
3.what are your previous qualifications?
4.how much are you earning?
5.what uni do you go to study+how often do you do this?
6.why are engineering apprenticeships so long.This is probs the main reason im stuck on choosing an apprenticeship, 5 years seems so long.

P.S. ive heard that the time you spend as an apprenticeship (e.g. learning,shadowing) is dependent on your previous qualification e.g. someone who did maths and physics a-levels will spend less time than someone who did a level 3/4 BTEC.

1 mechanical manufacturing, looking to be a process engineer

2 Easy, not enough people apply for apprenticeships so it is normally not that difficult unless you're going for ExxonMobil

3 my qualifications were GCSEs, one 8, one 5 rest 6's

4 1st year 13500 + 10% in pension, increases by 1500 in second year

5 no uni, SETA which is a training company for engineering, if I do a HNC, either Southampton solent or bornemouth

6 they aren't normally 5 years, what one are you on about? They are min 3 years generally up to 4.5 years but I have seen an 8.5 year Royal navy one.

And I'm not sure what your talking about but everyone has the same level of training regardless of prior qualifications.

Hope this helps, please give me an upvote!
Original post by Hoc est Bellum
1 mechanical manufacturing, looking to be a process engineer

2 Easy, not enough people apply for apprenticeships so it is normally not that difficult unless you're going for ExxonMobil

3 my qualifications were GCSEs, one 8, one 5 rest 6's

4 1st year 13500 + 10% in pension, increases by 1500 in second year

5 no uni, SETA which is a training company for engineering, if I do a HNC, either Southampton solent or bornemouth

6 they aren't normally 5 years, what one are you on about? They are min 3 years generally up to 4.5 years but I have seen an 8.5 year Royal navy one.

And I'm not sure what your talking about but everyone has the same level of training regardless of prior qualifications.

Hope this helps, please give me an upvote!

sorry i thought you were doing a degree apprenticeship. im currently doing a-levels (im 17 btw) and am looking to do a degree apprenticeship in civil eng.
Where did you apply
Are you guaranteed a job there?
What are good high paying apprenticeships
Original post by Sendhelp20
Where did you apply
Are you guaranteed a job there?
What are good high paying apprenticeship

I applied at many places: exxonmobil, mottmacdonald, SAFRAN helicopters, Leonardo (where I work), DP world etc.

After the end of my apprenticeship, I am not guaranteed a job, however if I do well I can go on to do a HNC or even a degree.

Look on the find an apprenticeship gov.uk website for good apprenticeships, they will put the salaries on that website. You shouldn't be concerned about your salary at this stage in your career, look for a reputable business with a reputable apprenticeship scheme.
Original post by william_siggee
Did you have to do an entrance exam ?
Was it hard ?
Any tips?
What questions/topics were covered in the test?

1. Yes, I had first an aptitude test that covered: Spacial reasoning, Mathematics, Mechanical Principals then I had my interview which consisted of - a practical aptitude test (following instructions to make something), a group exercise in front of employer and an interview.

2. It wasn't necessarily hard, I managed to get a good score on the aptitude test but everything else is normally to test how you approach problems rather than your answer.

3. try out this for aptitude test - https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/

4. Mainly things like: 'what is the area of this circle' or 'how many boxes in this picture' or 'what number comes next in this sequence'.
Hi im leaving college end of this academic year and was wondering what sort of engineering apprenticeship i could possibly do. Could u help me out?
Original post by John Michele
Hi im leaving college end of this academic year and was wondering what sort of engineering apprenticeship i could possibly do. Could u help me out?

Use this link - https://findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk

This will list lots of great apprenticeship opportunities that you can look into. However are you looking for a degree apprenticeship? This site mainly lists intermediate and advanced apprenticeships (level 2 and level 3).

I am happy to help you out further, just let me know how I can help. For example: do you want me to recommend some companies, do you want to learn about apprenticeships, do you need help finding places or need help applying? Just let me know and I will help you.
Original post by shadowdweller
Hi, sorry you've not had any responses to this yet - just giving it a quick bump, so hopefully someone will be along soon :smile:

What's your experience been like so far? :biggrin:

Hi
I am studying my A levels and want to become a structural engineer preferably through an apprenticeship but there arent many structural engineering apprenticeships available. Is it possible to do a civil engineering apprenticeship and then go on to become a structural engineer?

Also ive heard that even though some companies dont advertise apprenticeships they still get grants to cater for one. Is this true
Original post by qaasim786
Hi
I am studying my A levels and want to become a structural engineer preferably through an apprenticeship but there arent many structural engineering apprenticeships available. Is it possible to do a civil engineering apprenticeship and then go on to become a structural engineer?

Also ive heard that even though some companies dont advertise apprenticeships they still get grants to cater for one. Is this true

@Hoc est Bellum will hopefully be able to help out with this one :biggrin:
Original post by qaasim786
Hi
I am studying my A levels and want to become a structural engineer preferably through an apprenticeship but there arent many structural engineering apprenticeships available. Is it possible to do a civil engineering apprenticeship and then go on to become a structural engineer?

Also ive heard that even though some companies dont advertise apprenticeships they still get grants to cater for one. Is this true

Yes absolutely, here is a link to a website I like to look at that says all about structural engineers and the entry requirements (https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/structural-engineer). Civil and structural engineering go hand-in-hand, alike electrical and electronic engineering to the point where degrees are called civil and structural engineering. This is not to say however that it is not preferable to have a structural engineering degree and experience over civil engineering, because it is.

I assume as you've done your a-levels, you will be looking for a degree level apprenticeship rather than a level 3. With advanced (level 3) apprenticeships, companies will not always advertise their apprenticeships as they might not particularly need one or they never got the chance to post advertisements; therefore, asking about apprenticeship opportunities may cause them to spontaneously think "we'll apprentices aren't that expensive, we pay them less than normal workers and the qualifications are funded by the government so why not". However, with degree programs, it is much more expensive and there will typically need to be a pre-designated training plan in place alongside the degree training before they can take on an apprentice so they will typically not be as spontaneous. Furthermore, larger companies will typically offer degree apprenticeships and they will more often-than-not advertise it heavily.

I wouldn't normally recommend requesting an apprenticeship unless you don't get other offers as sometimes, they won't have a training plan or an organised path compared to other organisations. Obviously, this it is completely up to you to make the decisions regarding the quality of the apprenticeship as you will have seen the listing, talked to the people and seen the site in an interview.

Hope this was helpful, please give me an upvote!
Reply 15
Can you tell me good things to include in my cv when applying for an engineering apprenticeships
Original post by Edenwal
Can you tell me good things to include in my cv when applying for an engineering apprenticeships

When applying for engineering apprenticeships, there is nothing that is really different you have to do with your cv as it just overviews experience and qualifications etc. However, when you apply for an apprenticeship, 99% of the time, they will ask you a load of questions to determine your personality. In this, make sure you say about initiative and ability to learn as I have found that these are the two most important things that the employers specifically look for.
Original post by loazing21
sorry i thought you were doing a degree apprenticeship. im currently doing a-levels (im 17 btw) and am looking to do a degree apprenticeship in civil eng.

As am I, don’t know whether too just do the uni route or try and get one of these


Original post by Hoc est Bellum
Hi Everyone, I am in the second year of an engineering apprenticeship and will be happy to answer any questions

Do you think I should just go to uni and study or shall I do a graduate apprenticeship in civil engineering?
Original post by Isaacsayers
Do you think I should just go to uni and study or shall I do a graduate apprenticeship in civil engineering?

Definitely an apprenticeship, just weigh up the advantages and disadvantages - for example:

Route 1 Uni -
After three years you will have:
- BEng
- £30k+ in debt not including accommodation (£27,750 student loan debt (plus 5.5% interest on that loan) + £600 debt from equipment)
- Low chance of finding a job in civil engineering (no experience, lots of competition)
- Not very employable

Route 2 Apprenticeship -
After three years you will have:
- BEng
- Assuming and average pay of £25k PA (to be expected), £75,000 and no debt plus a pension scheme
- Almost guaranteed job after apprenticeship
- Three years of work experience (therefore progression is a lot quicker)
- Employable regardless if you decide to stay or go in the Civil Engineering field

Just look at the comparison, apprenticeships are much better - the problem is that people do not know quite how good they actually are compared to uni. If you can manage to get an offer, I'd say go for it.
Original post by Hoc est Bellum
Definitely an apprenticeship, just weigh up the advantages and disadvantages - for example:

Route 1 Uni -
After three years you will have:
- BEng
- £30k+ in debt not including accommodation (£27,750 student loan debt (plus 5.5% interest on that loan) + £600 debt from equipment)
- Low chance of finding a job in civil engineering (no experience, lots of competition)
- Not very employable

Route 2 Apprenticeship -
After three years you will have:
- BEng
- Assuming and average pay of £25k PA (to be expected), £75,000 and no debt plus a pension scheme
- Almost guaranteed job after apprenticeship
- Three years of work experience (therefore progression is a lot quicker)
- Employable regardless if you decide to stay or go in the Civil Engineering field

Just look at the comparison, apprenticeships are much better - the problem is that people do not know quite how good they actually are compared to uni. If you can manage to get an offer, I'd say go for it.

Have an offer from heriot watt, I just applied to give myself more options. I Found a civil engineering graduate apprenticeship in Edinburgh, which I’m waiting to hear back from so I’m going to try and get that apprenticeship, just thinking about how much work it will involve. If I didn’t get that apprenticeship I feel studying a hnc/hnd in civil engineering at Edinburgh college would be an alright back up (while still trying to get the apprenticeship) as it only increases my chances of getting one, but also If I choose to do uni I could just enter year 2 or 3 of my degree.

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