Today marks the start of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) which brings together businesses and apprentices across the country to highlight the positive impact that apprenticeships make to businesses, individuals, and the wider economy. This NAW, we’re shining a light on Cubik apprentices, past and present, to discover more about their individual experiences and the different routes they took to achieving their goals.

Jake Mullen joined Cubik on 1st June 2020 as an Apprentice Engineer and is currently studying towards a BEng (Hons) in Electronic and Computer Engineering. Jake talks about his experience and why he thinks an apprenticeship is a great way to start your career.

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1. ‍What course are you studying?
   I am studying a BEng (Hons) in Electronic and Computer Engineering at the University of the West of England (UWE). It’s a degree apprenticeship, so I work 4 days a week in Cubik’s Production Department as an Apprentice Production Engineer and spend 1 day a week at Uni studying.
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2. How long is the course?
   Because I spend 1 day a week at uni, it’s a 5-year course. I am due to complete it in September 2025.
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3. Once you’ve completed the course, what will your qualification enable you to do?
   This qualification, together with my practical experience, will give me the opportunity to work in many different areas within the electronics world; and across a range of sectors such as automotive, IT, gaming, telecoms, manufacturing, power, transport, utilities, and construction industries.
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4. How are you assessed?
   My assessments are a mixture of exams, coursework, and practical work. How they are weighted depends on the module, but in most cases its 25% practical, 25% exam and 50% coursework.
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5. Why did you want to do an apprenticeship?
   I wanted to do an apprenticeship because it enables me to develop my knowledge in the theoretical side of electronics but also provide an opportunity to apply what I’ve learned at university in a real-life application.
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6. What are your plans once you have finished your apprenticeship?
   I hope to remain as part of Cubik Production Team – I love working here! I love seeing the products be created and sent out into the real world.
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7. What are the benefits of doing an apprenticeship?
   There are so many benefits to doing an apprenticeship. Not only do you get hands on experience and chance to experience electronic development in a real-life setting, but you also get support from the skilled people around you and benefit from their years of experience. And it helps that you get paid to learn!
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Speaking about why we continue to develop links with local educators and offer apprenticeships, Operations Director, Sam Beard said:

“Apprenticeships are a great route to employment. They offer young people an opportunity to gain hands on experience whilst studying towards a formal qualification. From a business perspective, it gives us an opportunity to instil a quality mindset from the very beginning. We can teach the correct techniques and industry standards, which will hopefully result in a talented addition to the Cubik workforce, equipped with future ready skills.”

For more information about apprenticeships, or to find one that suits you, visit gov.uk