Track Renewal Engineering Apprentice Review

I plan the nightly renewal works in the Deep Tube tunnels on various London Underground works. Works include renewal or rails, sleepers, baseplates, tunnel sections and other track components. On a site by site basis, I also ensure that individual sites attain Beacon Health and Safety Standard, this involves ensuring safe systems of work are in place, personnel are trained and qualified and multiple correct procedures are in place.

I have leant and developed a number of new skills. The main one being Health, Safety and Environment. I've improved my planning, communication and time management skillset. My organisational skills have also improved as well as my confidence in corresponding with other professionals. My current role has made me more thorough and precise, I have an acute appreciation for attention to detail.

Overall I have enjoyed my apprenticeship programme. It has been extremely varied and I have been exposed to a number of different scenarios, people, methods of working and working environments. I haven't enjoyed the college portion of my programme at all, I feel as if it has been extremely disorganised, long and drawn out.

Under new management my course is well organised and structured. Now my apprenticeship is under new management we have personal developments meetings and targets to reach. I believe previously some placements could have been better thought out and some could have been longer and some could of been shorter as some were more beneficial than others.

My manager is very helpful and I receive a good deal of response and have good communication with my manager. Aside from my manager, my placement manager and other senior members of staff and mentors in the department I currently work in are helpful. My experience with other departments concerning support hasn't always been as helpful.

My training provider has been extremely disorganised, disruptive and disappointing. They have caused my apprenticeship to be unnecessarily extended because they didn't enter us for our qualification at the appropriate time. They have had poor communication, they have lost our work and they have had a turnaround of a number of our tutors many of whom have not been competent to teach us.

I do not believe my qualification through my training provider equips me to perform better in my role at work at all. I am best equipped to do my job because of my colleagues and the experience I have gained from being at work, working in the environment. Elements of the qualification have been unrelated to my job.

Extra curricular events and activities are available for members of staff to get involved in. The organisation is a very large one with a good network of individuals. There are always a number of sports activities or professional expos or networking events to attend. The company is flexible and encourages us to attend these when they are deemed to be beneficial to personal and professional development.

Yes

It is a large company with a number of benefits and professional opportunities. The is a lot of room for personal and professional development in the company and great opportunities to gain experience and gain professional qualifications. Transport For London is a company which is a recognised around the world and having them as an employer carries a lot of weight professionally.

If you are applying to work for Transport for London, I would advise that you are persistent, enthusiastic and professional. You must be serious and hardworking, the company will help you to develop if you want to so you should be motivated and committed. The company receives a large number of applicants so be patient if you are not successful at the first attempt getting applying.