So, I am 22 now and I have just changed industry following a sponsored degree.
I was doing my sponsored degree working in a wire harness manufacturing setting. My role included new product introduction, creating instructions, process improvement, and so on.
My new role is as a technical support engineer for a UPS company. I have managed to get settled in fairly quickly. Whilst I am probably some way off being fully knowledgeable in the role, I am able to get by day-to-day pretty much on my own. Of course, some of the niche problems or queries I have to ask about (especially where there is no literature) - but I like to think I am getting there!
I completed my sponsored degree, but I was hoping to get a full apprenticeship. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, I did not get the opportunity to complete a statutory apprenticeship. I did not enrol onto the competency qualification (NVQ/C&G/etc.) Now I have a BEng (Hons), but I feel I have missed out on the apprenticeship certificate and competency qualification.
My questions are:
- Is it worth now looking at doing a work-based competency qualification? Is getting that NVQ going to help me improve as an engineer or help my career in future?
- Would I be better off at level 3, or just skipping to level 4? I completed a level 2 (including PEO) about 4 years ago
- How much time off work does it require? Is it possible to complete just writing up assessment questions in the evenings/during breaks?
- Finally, is my role suitable for an NVQ?
- My main role is providing telephone support to field engineers and users. I read logs, wiring diagrams, manuals, and then interpret them to deduce the cause of faults and advise on actions to repair
- I also provide support for network monitoring software and the associated hardware including for MODBUS and SNMP networking (setup, helping with faults, etc.) I am by no means an expert in this field
- I create manuals/guides for our products to assist engineers and end users
Many thanks in advance!
