Telecommunications Engineer Apprentice Review

I am a telecommunications engineer apprentice for network rail, I am based at Bletchley Depot. my daily task at the Babcock training centre are to complete Betec qualifications such as English, maths and ICT as well as other engineering units such as fault finding, health and safety, telecommunications principles and many more. I interact with instructors and work colleagues every day as well as navy personal as we currently live on a naval establishment. Every working day (Mon-Fri) consist of activities with work members and also learn the knowledge needed to complete the NVQ level 3 in rail engineering. we have projects such as building bridges across water which is great for team bonding, we also have regular knowledge task set such as calculating resistor values within a completed electrical circuit all of which are relevant to our job titles.

I have gained a lot of confidence and self belief as I have the chance to interact with work colleagues which I didn't even know about 6 months ago but now they can be considered as long term friendships. I have also gained and incredible amount of work knowledge as well as understanding health and safety in-depth as we will be entering a safety critical environment with roles and responsibilities. I have completed my Personal Track Safety course which allows me to work on railway equipment.

I enjoy the programme very much and appreciate this opportunity as ones that are this great do not come around very often. I think it is a great idea to train everyone at the same location so that we can work as a team and gain valuable life skills. this apprenticeship has so far has gone over and above my expectations. I currently really enjoy work as the work place never has the same environment and you can always expect a new challenge the next day.

I fell extremely wanted by network rail as my managers take their best interests in getting me to progress as far as I would like to go within network rail. My manager always makes me feel motivated and gives incentives to strive to success. my work is acknowledged by my managers and they give the valued feedback. my manager also makes sure that I am always included in task and also gives me many chances to visit new working environments within network rail.

The course overall has a good initial structure however the Babcock academy are struggling to provide the service which network rail are paying for, and this is when I believe that the best option would be to get trained by network rail instructors only. Although the academy still gives a satisfactory amount of support. I feel that some of the task could be delegated slightly better such as allowing the relevant tutor to teach the subject. overall the programme is organised to a satisfying standard but could do with improvements.

We receive a lot of support from most of the tutors however a couple of them cannot be bothered to spend their own time trying to help improve your education, but this is very much so the minority. we are given guidance on the criteria which can enhance the chances of improving your course results. The general attitude to supporting us is motivational and the tutor encourage you to achieve success.

my manager gives as much support as he can possible give as he is very prepared to give up his free time to help me achieve success, HR team are always helpful when required. As an employee we are given full access to knowledge supporting material and also contact details of employees which are able to help you even further.

The current salary meets my required amount to pay the bills as well as being able to have a enjoyable lifestyle. Travel costs are all paid for by my employer and so are living cost for the first 9 months of the course.

We are constantly given the opportunity to attend company meals and social events, as well as attending charity events or fund raising for specific charities. We currently have a football team which includes everyone who wants to be a part of it. Currently we also have access to tennis courts, football pitches with goals, basketball courts, rugby pitches and a 24hour gym.

Yes

I feel that it is a fantastic company to work for as they want you to achieve the best you can and make the working environment the most enjoyable environment to be in. I feel valued by network rail and feel that anyone who gets the opportunity should take it without any doubts.

I think you should just be a calm and composed individual when going for the interview process as they want to find out about you and also your personal knowledge so if you show the willingness to learn and the motivation to work as hard as you can within the company then you would be a perfect candidate. Most importantly do not let this opportunity pass by!!!