Apprentice Review

My role varies vastly day by day, some days I can be in the office catching up with coursework or learning about routes, reading standards to improve my knowledge or learning about systems we use in the company whilst other days I can be out on site and seeing how we work out on track, seeing the infrastructure and again improving my knowledge of the railways with practical work. I recently have been working on a new track laying site where I was using a surveying kit.

Yes, I've learnt skills generally based around the railway, including hand skills such as effectively digging ballast, manipulating rails around a site as well as using my existing skills such as decision making skills to decide on what we should be doing and what to prioritise on site as well as using my computer skills to help me type up new assignments and input data to proprietary software used within the company.

I enjoy the programme a lot, as I have always enjoyed the railways and working in and around them so coming to work on the railway every day is a great experience, and the people I work with make sure I am looked after and are happy to answer my questions when I ask them, ensuring I get the most out of the program.

The program itself is well structured over the three years, with clear times for each college date and a structured program for the studying dates ensuring we know what we are doing every time we come down from our depots. The start of the apprenticeship is very cramped with work however, but it is needed to ensure our learning can occur properly at depot.

I personally receive a good amount of support from my employer both for work issues (I sometimes feel like I am not working as well as I should be however my boss and others assure me I am) and for issues such as autism and dyspraxia such as having extra time in exams and assistance outside of exams with coursework.

Again, my college is very supportive of me providing assistance to me both out of exams with mental health help with someone nearly always being on site to talk to, and for exams and coursework with people able to check my work for coursework and allowing extra time in exams if needed.

My initial qualification with a level 2 NVQ I believe has helped me with my role, as it has taught me the basics of working with teams and basic railway concepts, as well as some more advanced subjects such as surveying and how we build railways, giving me context on the difficulties of areas I may not be able to see when with my depot as they are outside our area of expertise, and the cost required for these construction projects,

There are often events organised on a site called Yammer which we can attend, I believe there are also regular events close to the depot with speakers attending to teach safety and to give context on other areas of the railway. We are also able to attend the PWI (Permanent Way Institute) and gain more expertise on areas we may not be sure about.

Yes

I believe the apprenticeship scheme is well structured and has helped me grow as a person to become more confident, and honestly more happy with myself as I work with a team that appreciates me and helps me out. This apprenticeship also has the potential for me to go anywhere in the company, giving me limitless possibilities.

Go for it! You can always apply again in a few months for the next intake if you fail. The only thing I could suggest was to ensure you revise for the exams and ensure you enjoy working outside in potentially bad weather, with the need for manual labour or potentially fiddly work around electronics.