Apprentice Review

My role within network rail involves going onto the track and observing what other workers are doing in order to maintain the railway. I am doing this until I have the correct qualifications to work on the railway myself. I also studied for 21 weeks in Westwood in order to gain the correct qualifications.

After completing work experience in an engineering company I already had a little set of skills in maul labour however the apprenticeship with Network Rail has allowed me to gain a whole new set of skills which will apply directly to the railway where I want my career to progress.

The programme is a very fun experience to be a part of. The training at Westwood was a good opportunity to meet new people and make friends for life. The working environment has a good it of banter between all the workers which allows the work environment to be a very fun and healthy place to be in.

The programme has a very good structure as there are many different courses that an apprentice needs t be put through. So the organisation of the business in order to get all the apprentices I the correct place at the correct time is very good. However the change over form training to Depot can be improved upon as many managers were not expecting their apprentices to turn up on the day they did.

Within my depot there are many people that are more than willing to help me. Everyone is friendly and approachable and have told me to come to them whenever I have a problem with anything. This is a very good feeling as I know that I will be in good hands while studying my apprenticeship.

While training at Westwood there was a high work load that the apprentices had to cope with. the support given out by the tutors was outstanding. Whenever I was struggling or slightly behind on my work the tutors would take time out of their day in order to make sure I understood what I was doing.

Many of the qualification that we receive are very helpful towards the railway as they are very relatable to the railway environment. For example the health and safety assignments are very much a necessity when on the railway as safety is key. Also, the NVQ programme gave a good insight to the technicalities of the Railway.

While working there are many charity events that I was able to get involved in. For example there was a charity fun run for a children's charity. Also I took part in organising and running a charity car wash for the apprentices and tutors at Westwood. This was a good way to have a laugh with your colleagues.

Yes

This apprenticeship course is a very fun, interesting and detailed course to be inducted into the railway. Therefore I would highly recommend this apprenticeship to anyone who wants to become an engineer in general. This apprenticeship is a wonderful way to make friends for life and get a very good education about the railway.

I would advise that you organise yourself in an effective way. This apprenticeship offers a lot f information including usernames and passwords. I recommend that a record of these is kept in order to remember these. Also punctuality is very key in Network Rail so make sure that alarms are set and deadlines are met.