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In our final National Apprenticeship Week feature, Andrew shares his experiences of working on Boeing's 'Flight Services Apprenticeship'. 

This week, techUK will be supporting National Apprenticeship Week with a number of featured apprentices from our member organisations and guest blogs.

In our final National Apprenticeship Week feature, Andrew Pocock - an apprentice at Boeing Flight Services, shares his experiences of working alongside simulation technicians at Gatwick. 

My role at Boeing

I am one of two apprentices working at Boeing Flight Services in Gatwick as an Apprentice Simulator Technician. My colleague David (another Boeing apprentice) and I are working alongside the Simulator Technicians on campus to develop our skills and knowledge.

My experience so far

The experience so far has been incredible! We work with a very diverse team and are exposed to so many different skill sets. I never thought I would get the opportunity to work for Boeing but I feel very lucky to have the support from Technicians here in Gatwick and Boeing as a whole in furthering my education.

What I've learned during my apprentiecship

Just before I joined Boeing in April 2015, I was studying a Higher National Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering. My college experience gave me a thorough understanding of aircraft systems and how they react but I really feel like it has been the application of this knowledge, working on the simulators and seeing the systems in action that has really furthered my development. During my apprenticeship I have also been exposed to many different software platforms and systems and my colleague David and I have benefited from courses that have been developed specifically for us and delivered by the Boeing Flight Services Technicians here in Gatwick.

My plans for the future

I think my plans would involve me staying at the Gatwick campus and getting further grounding in the simulation environment. So far, I have been involved in a couple of small onsite projects so far which have broadened my understanding of what is involved when carrying out different projects and updates on the simulation devices. Looking forward, I am very keen to travel to different locations and work with different devices, with an aim to work on devices in various stages of development. At the moment I am studying electrical engineering at the local college, I would also like to work towards getting a degree in aeronautical engineering.

My advice for those considering doing an apprenticeship

I would definitely say they should go for it! There is no better way to learn than to learn on the job with real hands-on experience. I work with two Technicians, one of them I knew when I studied a Level 3 BTEC National Diploma in Aeronautical Engineering. He started in the same position as me almost 10 years ago and has gained a lot of skills and knowledge which are hugely valuable to the industry. The difference in my confidence now compared to when I started is huge and I feel like I am picking up new skills every time I come into work.