Signalling Mainteance Apprentice Review

On the initial 21 week residential scheme it was similar to being at a boarding school. The Westwood facility in which you stay at is top class, and well maintained for everyday use. All bedrooms are double en-suite and you have classes from 08:15 to 16:15. All meals, corporate clothing, and travel to and from the facility on bank holidays etc. is covered. Once you complete your 21 weeks, you will be based at a depot close to home and work with either a maintenance team, or installation team. It is very much on the job training and at least for me, every shift is different in what it brings (keeps it interesting).

At Westwood you cover basic academic units such as maths and English (of which you need already to join the scheme). Depending on your discipline, you will do mechanical or electrical units to improve or build your hand skills, and allow you to learn some of the theory behind electrical systems such as relays and power supplies. When you join the depot there is a wealth of new information to learn. It can seem daunting initially, but over time you do learn a load of new skills and information from your peers and when you go on courses to learn about new pieces of equipment.

I am due to finish my first year in a month or so, and so far I have really enjoyed the work and all the new things I have learnt about since I commenced it in March 2018. I've made strong working relationships and friendships since the start. Shift work can be tiring when you join the depot, but the benefits of doing nights and learning so much outweigh any negative somebody may have on it. The pay in the first year isn't amazing, however for the first 21 weeks everything is paid for, so its all pocket money. once you go through the years the salary increases quite substantially so it is playing the long game in essence.

The 21 week plan is given from the word go so there is little doubt about what you may be doing over the duration of the residential. When you join depot you essentially become part of the company and everything is done through your line manager and HR with regards to work. My manager and team are excellent in what they do and relaying information to me. As for the apprenticeship side, you complete the remainder of your training at HMS Sultan in Gosport, the team there so far have been great and I haven't had any issues. I know well in advance when my courses there are so I can book holiday if need be around them.

My manager is there every step of the way in helping me as much as he can, and overall support is brilliant. For the first year you have a delegated apprentice development facilitator (ADF). They are essentially somebody who ensures you are getting on well, and are your first port of call if you have any issues regardless of category with the apprenticeship in your first year.

As per previous, the courses in the apprenticeship are set modules to complete to finish the scheme. In the first 21 weeks you attain a number of qualifications that you work in conjunction wit the tutors, peers, and ADFs to achieve. In future at depot, all courses are arranged as needed by HR, and are area specific.

Initially the hand skills you learn at Westwood seem quite vague, but when you reach depot you find that all the information you learned and the skills you acquired make sense. I came from and engineering job prior to joining, but the NVQ qualification I'm due to receive has aided greatly.

At Westwood there are numerous different social events to attend if you are inclined to do so; sports at the on site leisure centre, quizzes, fundraising events etc. The team at Westwood are great in the fact that they encourage you to attended such events to enjoy yourself and take the stress away that can come from the occasionally heavy workload.

Yes

The job in which I am training to achieve is varied, technical, and has great further prospects. The apprenticeship scheme itself so far has been a brilliant start to my career, and has given me many opportunities I would never have had by going to university or other equivalent courses. Network Rail is a vital asset in keeping the railways running and if you are wanting a stable engineering career with a vast amount of prospects then it id definitely for you.

In the application stages, for the telephone interview and face to face assessment centre interview, just be yourself. When I did the interview over the phone I did my research and made it clear to the person on the other end. If you make it to the assessment centre, once again be confident but not cocky. The two managers who I had for my interview wanted to know as much about me as I did about them, and as long as you maintain that attitude you will be fine.