Applying for and Engineering Apprecticeship
What’s it about?
Few apprenticeships offer as many diverse pathways as the engineering apprenticeship – you could be demolishing buildings, servicing stairlifts, checking a RAF aircraft or activating phonelines- and that’s just the start of a long list of opportunities!
General Engineering, Engineering Construction and Engineering Technology are all apprenticeship options in this sector.
General Engineering is a hugely diverse field, and can be divided into seven sub-categories: aerospace, automotive, metals, electrical equipment, electronics, marine maintenance, and mechanical engineering. This Apprenticeship covers a range of job roles in these sub-sectors.
As an apprentice in Engineering Construction, you could be using computer-aided design (CAD) programs to plan new projects; cutting and welding together pipework; erecting steel columns and beams to form a building’s framework; installing and servicing equipment in factories; maintaining pipelines and pumps; or inspecting machinery and newly installed systems.
And for those brain boxes who have completed an advanced apprenticeship in engineering, they can undergo an apprenticeship in Engineering Technology. This higher apprenticeship can be applied across a range of sectors, from aerospace and automotive to electrical and electronics.
If this industry excites you, then what you waiting for! ‘Weld’ your thoughts together and apply for an apprenticeship in engineering!
Who’s it for?
Engineering is all about being able to understand why something isn’t working, and how to make it work- so you need a good understanding of engineering principles and knowledge on how technology works with a good head for figures.
You’ve got to understand health and safety risks and take suitable precaution. And during your engineering apprenticeship you’ll most likely be working with others, so you need to be able to work in a team as well as having the capacity to work on your own- once you’ve qualified.
What do I get out of it?
You will learn the basics in a safe training environment and develop useful skills by working on the job with engineers who know exactly what they are doing. You will gain a qualification that employers recognise and proves what you can do. This means potential employers respect the qualifications gained from this apprenticeship and they would have no quarrels in offering you a job once qualified!
Depending on your programme, you may also study one day a week at college for a qualification that backs up your practical skills with theory. Alongside that, you will develop other skills that employers look for such as how to communicate, work with other people and use IT.
The basic frameworks (in England and Wales) an apprenticeship in engineering follows is; NVQ(s), Key Skills, Technical Certificate(s), Practical Performance Assessment and Employment rights and responsibilities work. While in Scotland the framework consists of SVQ and Core Skills.
Depending on which apprenticeship you start, you can expect slightly different starting salary- from ?12k to ?19k with those following a career in Engineering Technology expected to start at the top end of that estimate.
You can be repairing and designing with the best of them in no time!
http://www.aveng.co.za – Aveng is listed on the Johannesburg stock exchange as one of the largest mining, engineering and construction companies in South Africa.
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