Engineering
BAE Systems looks for sixth form school-leavers with a minimum of three Grade C’s at A-level or a STEM-based level 3 extended BTEC diploma. “Our degree apprentices typically start on a salary of circa
£23,000 and that rises to around £35,000 by the end of the five-year programme. And there’ll be another lift when you move into your first job, on completion of the degree apprenticeship,” advises Hamer.
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us to get closer to gaining our professional accreditation, which for me is with the Institute of Civil Engineering. I’m aiming to achieve my incorporated engineer status within 12 months after finishing my apprenticeship. I couldn’t reach that so quickly if I’d not done the work experience alongside the studying. To begin with, I found it a challenge to juggle working and studying. If you’re at university, it can be difficult enough to balance studying with your personal life – and on an apprenticeship, you’re working as well, which can be very tricky. But I found I got into the flow of things quickly and was given a huge amount of support from my mentors, supervisors and line manager. At AWE we work a nine-day fortnight, so every other Friday is a day off, which is great for work-life balance. I use each working Friday to write-up a log of my off-the job learning and development. It’s a crucial part of preparing for the end point assessment for my apprenticeship and for becoming an incorporated engineer too. I generally use my non-working Friday for my university assignments, which means I can keep my weekends free. I’ve loved my time on the apprenticeship and feel like I’ve learned more in my three years here, than I would have ordinarily done in five years in a job elsewhere. It’s been a brilliant experience so far and I’m really excited about my future as a civil engineer. ” * For security reasons, employees at AWE remain anonymous.
It was my tutor at college who encouraged me to look into degree apprenticeships. I’d done a BTEC and was doing an HNC in engineering and knew that I wanted to do some kind of degree, but I wasn’t sure about going to university. I’d heard about AWE and knew it manufactured and maintained the UK’s nuclear warheads – but didn’t appreciate all the other things it does and the wide range of opportunities it provides. When I read through the description of its civil engineering degree apprenticeship, I just knew that it would be the right fit for me. Compared with other employers, what AWE offered was unparalleled, so I applied. After going through the selection process, I was offered a place and I’m now in my third year of the apprenticeship, at AWE’s Aldermaston site near Reading. The thing that struck me when I started working is how friendly everyone is, and how welcoming they were. It feels like you’re part of a real community here. There’s a large number of people who’ve been with the organisation for 30 years. It offers the opportunity for long-term careers and people choose to stay because the work is really interesting. I’ve worked on so many different projects since joining AWE. From designing car parks and planning new footpaths, to looking at access platforms that are used to maintain machinery, it’s been very varied. The degree part of my degree apprenticeship is done on a day-release basis and I go to London South Bank University.
Degree Apprentice
Jane* Civil Engineering Degree Apprentice AWE
It’s a full day of lectures, so quite intense, but we’re given plenty of preparation for it and know what to expect. Our lecturers are very understanding and know that by 4pm we’re getting quite tired! Being able to attend lectures in person has been very important to me. We’re at university with apprentices from several other organisations, and I’ve got a such a nice, close-knit friendship group there. For the rest of the week, we’re normally on-site, working in the civil engineering team and completing work projects with our colleagues. That’s where we really get to apply what we’ve learned at university to the job we’re doing. It adds that extra layer of meaning to what you’re learning. It’s one thing to understand something, but to actually see how it’s applied is so interesting and rewarding. It’s a huge benefit to us as apprentices because it helps
Degree Apprenticeships 51
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