Civil Engineer (Highways) Apprentice Review

I am a civil engineering apprentice and we have 4 6 month placements over a 27 month course, Currently I am in asset management and previously I was in network performance. The work in both placements are very different however both roles were predominantly office based.

Yes I Have learnt new skills that I didn't have before, for example in my first 6 month placement I learnt how to use a lot of traffic signal software that I had never seen before, also my skills with excel have improved a lot as I do and have done more work on spreadsheets than before.

I do enjoy the apprenticeship quite a lot because the other apprentices I work with are all good to get along with and also the work is not too stressful and the company so far overall has been very inclusive.

I feel valued as I expected to be. I feel as if I have similar opportunities to everyone else in TFL, however if ell like at least my scheme lacks someone to talk to who can sort things out with college or other things like that.

The scheme is relatively well organized in the fact that we know we will be doing four placements. However it is not made very clear to us when these placements will start, for example at the end of my last placement I did not know until a few days prior what team I would be moving into and who my manager would be.

In terms of the training from the NVQ training provider the support is excellent the woman who tutors us is incredibly nice and helpful makes that side of the apprenticeship relatively stress free compared to the rest of the scheme no complaints.

The support received from my employer is quite good not as easy as the NVQ provider as managers vary I don't feel as comfortable speaking with them about my issues as I do with the Training provider. However I feel as if I was to contact HR or my manger sponsor etc. about any issues then the support for me would be provided so I'm still happy with this.

The salary and benefits are very good and very competitive with other apprenticeships that I looked at. The travel costs are nullified by the fact that we have a staff oyster card which covers travel through the London underground so I have no issue in travelling and the only daily cost is buying food which is very easy round Palestra (Southwark) as there are plenty of places to choose from around here. Also we are provided with kitchen facilities with coffee, tea and hot chocolate also Water fountains dotted around the office which makes it very easy.

Yes there are lots of opportunities outside of the office. such as training courses you can go to. there are all staff events that you can attend and also clubs and leagues such as the football league within Palestra on Thursday lunch times. there probably is also much more which I am yet to find out about which is great.

Yes

Because I am overall happy with how everything is, I do have some issues, but the positives heavily outweigh the negatives. Also as I am still only 17 most of my friends are still in sixth form and college and I am avoiding student debt at University and also having money whilst my friends are having to work part time jobs, all whilst earning qualifications that will help me in the future.

I Would advise them to read and understand TFL's competencies and behaviors as I believe they helped me in the interview and the application process. I believe I had great support when applying form people who have worked with TFL and also people who had a lot of work experience. So I would advise people to ask people for advice if they are willing to give it and make sure you take it on board.