FIRST WEEK AS AN APPRENTICE? WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT

Your first week probably won't look like the version you have imagined.

You may not immediately be handed a machine and told to make a complicated component.

In fact, you may spend a lot of time watching, cleaning, preparing materials, learning safety procedures, organising tools and getting familiar with the workshop.

That's not necessarily a bad thing.

You're entering an environment where mistakes can damage expensive machines, tooling or components and more importantly, where safety matters.

Your first priority is understanding the environment.

Learn where things are.

Learn the workshop rules.

Understand the PPE requirements.

Pay attention to how people move around machines.

Learn how the company handles drawings, tooling, inspection and quality.

Expect to feel nervous

You may feel like everyone else knows what they're doing while you know nothing.

That's normal.

Remember that you're comparing your first week with someone else's years of experience.

You are not expected to know everything.

Ask questions.

Listen carefully.

Write things down if that helps you remember.

One apprentice recently asked machinists whether taking notes was a good idea, after being told it could become a "crutch". The overwhelming practical advice was that if notes help you learn, use them.

Expect to start small

You might begin with basic tasks.

Deburring.

Cleaning.

Cutting material.

Preparing tools.

Measuring simple components.

Watching setups.

These tasks might not feel exciting, but they teach you how a workshop operates.

Pay attention even when you're not operating the machine.

Watch how the experienced machinist sets up.

Notice what they check.

Listen to their reasoning.

You can learn a huge amount before you're trusted to do something independently.

Expect mistakes

You will make them.

The important thing is to learn from them.

If you measure something incorrectly, find out why.

If you don't understand an instruction, ask.

If you make a mistake, don't hide it.

Good engineers learn to identify problems, understand what caused them and prevent them happening again.

And expect your confidence to grow

The first time you do something successfully, it might feel like a small achievement.

Six months later, you may look back and realise how much you've learned.

That is what an apprenticeship is supposed to do.

You start with very little knowledge and gradually build yourself into someone who can contribute to the team.