Electrification and Plant Engineer Apprentice Review

The first year is mainly classroom work, gaining knowledge that will help you in years two and three. So in years two and three you go to your local depot and learn hands on with a team, who you will watch over and learn from.

Yes I have developed existing skills. I use to do electronics in school. The teaching in my first year has provided me with further learning that will be relevant when I work out on track.

The first year has been tough living away from home. It can get very lonely and sharing a room with other people isn't for everyone. You may feel like you do repeat some things you've learnt in school as well which can be tedious and I also haven't enjoyed the food too much in year one. But I am hoping things get better for me in year 2 when I'm back at home.

Very. They have taken time to employ 210 out of thousands of people and invest £75k into each one of us in the course. They make you feel needed by the company and a worthwhile investment for the future of the railway.

Quite organised in year 1. They have a structured timetable for each class so you know what you're doing day to day. However next year we are less informed as to what exactly will happen and go on from day to day.

They are helpful in coming to find you if you have made a mistake in your work. However not all instructors are like this. Some will let you fail a piece of work only to redo it. This is because there isn't a great system in place to tell you when you've done work wrong.

In year 1 you don't really get much support from the employer. They have left it mostly in the hands of Babcock training staff to take care of training. Not only that though but also to take care of us socially as well while we live at work in year 1.

Year 1 isn't great pay to be honest. There are other apprenticeships that pay better. However it does go up by little amounts over each yeah on the scheme. But its a means to an end as the future pay packet as a qualified engineer is far higher than what my friends will be making at the same age.

In year 1 yes. They have tried to get us involved in local events such as marathons and the Network Rail football team. Although again, we are less informed on things outside of work for the years when we are at our depots.

Yes

The future prospects at Network Rail are very good in comparison to other company's. There's a lot of oppertunity to work hard and make something of yourself with the company if you want to make it happen.

I would say, if your happy with living away for a few months than great. Look forward to the future job and the end goal of the apprenticeship and be patient. Work hard and go for it if your not sure. The apprenticeship is a good one to be on, especially for those who have just left school.