Apprenticeship Programmes

Requirements

Junior Engineer Development Programme
The Junior Engineer Development Programme is based in various Engineering functions and offers individuals the opportunity to undertake further education whilst gaining skills through on the job training. 
Please refer to application for exact qualification requirements.

Advanced Apprenticeships
Availability of these placements is dependent on business requirements and is subject to alteration on a yearly basis.

Craft / Technical
Craft and Technical apprenticeships are based within the Manufacturing or Engineering departments and successful applicants will have the opportunity of gaining a broad range of skills and knowledge by working directly with the product.

Please refer to application for exact qualification requirements.

Commercial / Business
Commercial / Business apprenticeships are typically based in Finance, Logistics, Information System, Personnel or Sales and Marketing.  
Please refer to application for exact qualification requirements.

Simon Smith- Engineering

I left school at 16 with GCSEs and wasn’t quite sure which route to take for my career. The local full-time college courses in Engineering didn’t offer what I wanted, and so I decided to look at apprenticeship instead. I applied for my apprenticeship with Bentley in 2003 and joined the company in September that year.

After the company induction I was shown to my department and met the teams I would be working with. I spent my first 12 months in the Engineering and Prototype workshop, learning about the electrical, mechanical and coachbuilding aspects of working on development vehicles. This gave me the ‘real life’ hands-on experience that the college courses couldn’t offer. For the second year I moved around other engineering functions including Crash Worthiness, Interior Trim Test and Aerodynamics. This offered me a great insight into how the various parts of the company interact and allowed me to see the processes that take place in a test and development environment.

Through every step of the apprenticeship I was supported by the Academy, and worked with my manager to complete training plans and objectives which would be followed for my development. Academy activities included regular meetings with my apprentice year group, workshops to learn useful business skills and also outdoor activity days for team building.

As well as the elements of Academy training that must be completed by each apprentice, there are many other ways of getting involved with additional activities. For instance I have had opportunities to work with local schools, fund raise for the company’s chosen charities and also work to represent Bentley in events outside the factory at Crewe, such as soapbox racing and at engineering lectures. The company are keen to recognise this extra time and effort that people are willing to give towards such activities, and it hosts award evenings and events which aim to reward people for their hard work.

In conjunction with the work based training I also studied for an NVQ and B-TEC National Certificate at a local college on day release. Additionally I have undertaken German language classes with the Academy in the evenings; just one of many development opportunities available to everybody at the factory in Crewe. Upon completing my apprenticeship I moved into a full time position within Engineering and, now in my fifth year with the company, I am studying towards a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

In all honesty, there isn’t much that I’d change about my time at Bentley, and I feel very proud to work here. For me, undertaking an apprenticeship was definitely one of the best choices I have made, and the fact that the company will support me with my development and qualifications over the coming years makes it even better.

Ellis Dawson - Information Systems

I joined Bentley Motors as an apprentice in September 2005 after completing ‘A’ levels and decided an apprenticeship was an excellent alternative to university. I work in the Information Systems department as an analyst programmer. This involves taking a specification from a customer, then planning and building a bespoke application. I have worked on a variety of different projects some independently and others in a team, including creating a website used by Bentley dealerships all over the world to track their sales performance. I have a great deal of support from experienced colleagues in the department and everyone is always keen to lend advice and help whenever needed on projects.

One of the most rewarding factors of an apprenticeship is that there are constant opportunities to undertake learning through Bentley’s Academy to further both my technical and personal skills. In this sense the apprenticeship gives a much wider learning experience than I originally expected and provides a great starting point for a future career.

In the last 12 months I have completed courses in German, presentation skills, time management and communicating assertively, as well as gaining an NVQ level 3 in computing.
I have also completed a number of placements within IS which has allowed me to see different aspects of the department and has increased my knowledge of other areas of the business.

I am currently studying towards a foundation degree on a day release basis at South Cheshire College and I hope to continue to full degree level. I find myself frequently applying theories I have gained in my college course to my day-to-day work and also find that the work I do at Bentley benefits my college projects and learning. I never imagined that I would increase my knowledge of both IT and business as much as I have in such a short space of time and am left with no doubt that my choice to begin an apprenticeship instead of a full time university course was the right decision for me.

Over the next two years I am looking forward to completing my degree and apprenticeship and securing a full time role with the Company.

Louis Warburton - Production

I joined Bentley in September 2006 after completing a motor vehicle course at a local college.

I decided that I wanted to continue in education but learn a skill at the same time.  The apprenticeship at Bentley seemed like the perfect balance between work and learning.

Since joining Bentley I have completed two, six-month placements. The first being in the Wood-Shop and Paint-Shop maintenance teams and the second based in the Tool & Prototype department.

Although I came to Bentley with the intention of working on the cars themselves, I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I have enjoyed my first two placements having yet to work on the vehicles.

During my time within Maintenance I was able to get involved in all aspects of the department from electrical installations to pneumatic pump testing.  I was surprised at the responsibility I was given within the department and believe without this responsibility I wouldn’t have learnt as much from Maintenance as I did.

My next placement after Maintenance was in the Tool & Prototype department. The role of the Tool & Prototype department is to support Production with the design and manufacture of jigs, tools, fixtures or any other modification or parts, which are required.

Whilst in the Tool Room I spent three months in the Jig and Tool design office, their role is to investigate and design jigs, tools and fixtures. At first I was a bit sceptical about my sub placement within the drawing office as I had been used to working in work-shop environments in the past but I quickly found myself settling in well and fully enjoying my time in the department.
After the design office I then spent some time on the shop floor learning fitting and machining skills.

To help gain the qualifications needed to complete my apprenticeship I attend a local college one day a week to study towards my BTEC National Certificate in Manufacturing Engineering.