BMW plant in Oxford is a large company that focuses on the production of the new mini. There are around a thousand employees, so I really am a needle in a haystack in comparison.
The first day seemed very long in comparison to a regular school day. I had to get up at 6 o’clock just to arrive on time. I was nervous to begin with, but my nerves soon disappeared when I saw a familiar face. At first, we had a brief meeting to discuss health and safety. After this, I was introduced to the department I would be working in. The name for this department was TO-15; I first needed to find out exactly what this means, so I spoke to the person who was to assume the role of my boss for the fortnight. His name was Daniel Morris, and had just finished his HNC course. He explained the name of the department, as I will indicate in this diagram
T – This means logistics
O – Represents Oxford plant
1 – The 15 is the building number
5 –
The expectations that I were faced with seemed to be immense; Not only did I have to act in a suitable manner, but I had to find my way around without much guidance! This all was put into perspective when I started work during the day. I had not been asked to do a lot, but just common politeness and co-ordination. The employees around me gave a very positive welcome, and were happy to help at all times.
The week began to develop at an incredible rate; I was entering meetings, resolving conflicts with systems and taking telephone calls. Let us not forget the most important role of the week, making the tea and coffee. One of the most memorable events was when I met the first year apprentices. I saw the possibility of me in the next coming years, and I liked the look of it. The students were very friendly, and without delay I was accepted, again, into a very different environment.
There were also some unpleasant points to the week, and in my opinion the worst had to be the early starts. It wasn’t until the third or fourth day when these became obvious, as I had become very tired. I treasured the extra 10 – 15 minutes in bed in the morning, or the extra 5 minutes in the bed. There was an advantage of this though, I could finish earlier and I would arrive for breakfast. The obligatory daily breakfast was a mammoth artery-clogging full English. The prices were very cheap, and I was also given discount I also couldn’t stand the long windy walk across the BMW site, and eventually Dan and I were able to use a mini to cross the site. This was such a relief, as with the tiredness, I would have been wrecked for the next few days!
My last day was of mixed feelings, as I felt sadness to leave because of the friends I have made, but also one of joy as I could sleep in for the next two weeks. To finish, I was taken to the apprentice awards, and we won the quiz. I received a box of chocolates, which were shared between our team. This provided a great end to the week.
For my entire period at the BMW plant, I mostly felt that I had benefited from the scheme and was a more rounded individual after completion. I had learnt several new skills, including the ever growing importance of customer care. In summary, the work experience BMW provide is comprehensive and I would recommend it to anyone considering engineering or IT, due to the facilities, management and programme of events.
