The apprenticeship is poorly structured and managed. When I started, I was given a clear outline of what to expect over the upcoming years, which included having a different mentor every 12 months so a wide range of analytical knowledge could be obtained. What was received was two mentors over three years. The first was fully supportive and considerate to the additional workload (with the university) and allowed the time to train each apprentice so they were fully competent in each technique. The second seemed like they didn't treat the apprentice as someone they could teach, instead, they were seen as someone who they could offload their work onto. It seemed that some mentors had their heart into teaching apprentices and developing whilst others saw it as an inconvenience which they had to keep occupied during the day. My mentor was unable to find the time to train me meaning multiple mistakes were made for which I had the blame. As an apprentice in the second year, I would assume that the company would expect you not to be fully competent in every single technique but it appeared they did. Multiple concerns were made to the mentor/manager but they were repeatedly brushed off until most people stopped trying and employees were left to grumble over their qualms with each other and the management. In times like this, the place became like a game of Chinese whispers where nobody seemed capable of speaking directly with the person with whom they had a problem. Sad actually as I expected so much more.
