Rail apprentice Review

A normal day includes attending sites with a fully trained engineer where I assist with the maintenance of the railway. This includes fault finding and general labour to make sure everything is replaced and working as it should. I do shifts and this includes nights as the railway needs to be monitored 24/7

I have learnt how to carry out visual inspections and checks to make sure things are how they should be and there is no damage this includes signals insuring they change correctly with points so that trains don’t get derailed. Other skills I’ve developed are problem solving

My programme is enjoyable I work along side a good bunch of people and we have a laugh whilst at work. It’s enjoyable working with people that share similar interests and doing something you love whilst having a challenge. I dislike how much work I have in my first year but I need to learn the important stuff

The programme is structured well, with 5 months spent up in a training school it gives you a lot of time to learn a lot as well as gaining a lot of useful hands on experience. Other things good about the programme being structured means that I can get a lot learn during my time

My employer offers a lot of support. The training school gives a lot of opportunity to learn and really shows how much the company is investing into their apprentices. The facilities also give a lot of opportunity to get your head down and focus on work in order to get it done

The training provided comes with a lot of support, you can email lecturers outside of lesson time and they’re always happy to give you any extra help to make sure you understand things. You also get a lot of support and time to focus on work as you’re staying in a training school

The lessons you get taught teach you how everything works but also how to do the jobs whilst staying safe. As the railway can be quite dangerous I feel that it’s important to be safe when doing the job. It also makes me aware of how to generally maintain

There is plenty of extra activities to get involved in, I enjoy playing pool in the canteen and I enjoy the networking events where I can build up my contacts and get to know people in other departments of the company. Social activities also include and on site gym with top of the range equipment all brand new

Yes

It is a good place to get a long term career with a lot of room for progression as well as options to swap job roles if you don’t quite enjoy your first choice. The company offer a lot of support and also invest a lot into the apprentices

Always be organised and punctual as the company look at this firstly. They also want to know that you’re determined and ambitious as the first year is really intense and they want to know that you’ll stick with it. It’s always good to show you can work well with others as well