Railway Signalling Design Apprentice Review

Apprentice Signalling Design Engineer. I have worked on a variety of projects doing multiple different tasks, no one of which are monotonous or mundane. I have been given plenty of opportunities to expand my skillset.

I attended college full time for the first year, and then one day a week for the second year. For the final year; working as a normal employee. There are many industry specific and job-role specific training course that I have attended as part of my development. All of these are transferable across companies. There are also plenty of opportunities to work with schools and at events.

The work itself is varied enough to not be doing the same thing the whole time, and there's enough work to be doing so I'm never bored. Everyone in the office is supportive and knowledgeable, whilst being both professional and friendly. I very much enjoy the place I work.

In comparison to how I imagine other apprenticeships to feel, I definitely feel valuable to the company. After I have learnt all the basics, I am very much an asset to the team. I will be given a task (with support) to complete just like any other employee, and the work for the project will be divided with me included - not just shadowing or assisting another designer.

This is the only area in which Siemens is lacking. During the college breaks when I was told to come in to work, the company had no idea when I would be coming in to the office, so there was next to no work available to me. However, for the newer apprentices who I have been working with, it seems as though it is far more structured than my year. However, after college had finished and I was more consistently in the office, the work was far more structured. The mentor system in work is very effective and I always feel as though my mentor is approachable for any question at all.

There has been a decent amount of support from the college that I attended. The tutors would allow extra days during the week if we needed addition time or assistance with meeting the criteria of the qualification.

Siemens is always offering support wherever necessary - and even sometime when you don't really feel you need it. From the very start, the dedicated apprenticeship team was always around to help and support.

The area I live in is above average in terms of house prices, but there's ample ways to travel, however the roads are always very busy. The area is really quiet, but with plenty of links to other larger cities. The salary for my first year meant that at the time, I was the highest paid level 3 apprentice in the UK.

Plenty of company events, loads of opportunities to volunteer (Siemens allows 2 free volunteer days each year). There are gyms and leisure centers within the town, and there are various martial arts classes dotted about. There's a cricket ground and various football pitches in the area to hire - including AstroTurf.

Yes

The amount of experience I have gained here has been invaluable. Siemens are going out of their way to keep me happy!

My specific apprenticeship requires a decent level logic applied, and you need to be able to grasp technical concepts. However, they won't expect you to know everything, but they will expect you to be willing to learn!