Transport Planning Apprentice Review

Over the 2 year program you are placed into 4 different placements across the company this allows you to work with different teams and gain different skills. I'm currently in my third placement in the Delivery Planning Team. This has seen me co-manage a project to develop the area around Marylebone Flyover in Westminster with the introduction of rain gardens and pedestrian improvements. I also have worked on the LoCity project and with a taskforce helping to introduce electric vehicle charging infrastructure. For all thse projects I have had to learn technical knowledge, do necessary research, present data and set up meeting and communications.

Communication is a key skill which you learn throughout your apprenticeship, being able to keep the people you are working with up to data with developments within the part of the project which you are responsible for can be key to keep work on time. During my apprenticeship I have needed to go on multiple site visits to see where works are taking place, this has included setting up a pedestrian survey and carrying it out with members of my team. Presenting data is also a common task which needs to be done, this can be forms of data which need to be put into Excel documents which can be used to support the work of others with in your team or in the form of a presentation to make it easy to understand for the reader or a less technical audience.

The scheme has been an enjoyable experience because you become a valued member of the team supporting your colleagues work, before moving onto working on your own projects with the support of others once you have learnt the basics. This systems means you are always learning something new which is enjoyable as you know you are developing within your role.

the apprenticeship is managed by two experienced members of staff who both work in different areas of transport planning, they are responsible for setting up our placements and making sure we are actually benefit the most we can from our time with different teams. When in one of the six month placements you often work with different people to gain knowledge of all parts of the team and allow you to work on a greater scope of projects.

There are multiple people within the organization who support you through your apprenticeship, this includes two members of staff responsible for your apprenticeship scheme, your line manager who is your first placement manager, your current placement manager, and another member of staff responsible for the welfare of apprentices on the scheme. I have found due to the way the apprenticeship is managed I often do not need to use most of the support systems available but when I do I get the help I need quickly.

For our scheme we attend college in 2 week blocks 3 times a year, this is due to our college being located in Leeds and the only one which runs our course. While we are there we have the support of 3 experienced teachers with our studies, and another member of staff which supports as with anything outside of college which maybe affecting our studies. When away from our college we can easily contact our teachers through emails and phone calls, and we are often contacted to see our progress at work.

We study 10 units at college all related to transport planning, each unit gives us greater technical knowledge we can use in the work place. For example one of our units at college teaches us about computer modeling for transport projects, within work we all have one placement which is located within a team responsible for modeling. This prior knowledge means we have had a head start when joining these teams because we already are aware of computer programs and what they are used for.

There are optional activities and groups which you can join. These can range from simply being part of an emailing list to attending meetings or going to events. You can be a member of our LGBT+ group within the organization and get up dates on their work and how you can get involved in things such as marching in London's pride parade with the TfL float.

Yes

Because it is a company which looks after its apprentices by offering a competitive salary and good benefits, while having a good support structure which makes sure you are learning what you need and more to pass your apprenticeship and have the best start to you career you can. TfL is such a vast company there is always opportunities to get involved in something different which will interest you and allow you to gain new experiences.

The organization looks for people who are committed to working hard towards the completion of their apprenticeship through taking the opportunities which are on offer and making use of the learning experience as much as possible. As long as you are a team player willing to learn and have an interest in your scheme you can succeed at TfL.