Signalling apprentice Review

I am a Maintenance apprentice currently working in Swindon learning from experienced team memebers in the field. We carry out maintenance and rectify faults on the railways signalling infrastructure. I work different shifts on a repeating 5 week rosta.

I have learnt many new skills I did not have prior to my apprenticeship. I have also developed on pre existing skills such as team work and communication skills though manangement training courses.

I enjoy the job a great deal. The programme however could be better run and organised as to make it flow more smoothly. Some of the teaching methods and way things are done on the apprenticeship are quite outdated. This does not match the job role.

I feel relatively valued. I think they invest a lot in us as apprentices, however communication with some of our managers can be very little. My direct supervisor and team leader show respect and value toward me, however apprenticeship training providers do not.

As previously mentioned it is not very well organised and in some cases is starting to show cracks. Some fellow apprentices have had their training courses cancelled recently due to a lack of staff.

I can email my training provider if I need help however I receive more help from experienced colleagues at my place of work. I also receive one to one meetings with my manager every 12 weeks. They are meant to be every 12 weeks but are often postponed and organised with little notice for myself.

I receive a fair amount of support from my employer. If I ever had and issues or problems there are many different avenues I could take m query down for rectification. There are also support phone numbers and information on places where you can receive external support dotted around the office and my place of work.

At the moment I get paid very little as an apprentice doing the same job as many of my colleagues however this is understandable as an apprentice I have no stress in the job and little to no responsibility for the work I carry out. When I finish my apprenticeship my salary is set to increase.

There are different teams and events going on around my Swindon depot and this are often displayed as posters in and around the depot. I have never attended one of these but always hear good feedback from other colleagues.

Yes

I think it is a good engineering apprenticeship and as I female I have felt very welcomed and not often felt left out in any circumstance. It is an interesting and fun way to learn.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself and make sure you read up a bit about the company before hand. This way you can understand the company’s job role and what you would be working towards.