Apprentice Civil Engineer Review

Rotating through 6 placements, each 6 months long, for 3 years. The role depends on the placement you are currently working on. Placements can be anything from design to commercial, maintenance to sponsorship. You might be supporting engineers in their general duties such as aiding in calculations or evidence reviews, or take on a small project of your own such as creating a business case or developing a database.

I have learnt countless new skills. These include but are not restricted to: Communicating with a wide variety of personalities; how to operate a total station; confidence to contribute during a meeting; inspection skills, how to balance lots of different types of work at the same time; managing time effectively.

I enjoy the day to day work a lot. It is always highly engaging and constantly teaching me new skills. I also think the work life balance is great. Other aspects of the programme are less enjoyable, for example the quality of the teaching in college can be substandard and the organization can be poor.

It is known that there will be 6 placements, 6 months long each from the start. However what placements you will be put on are not known until the last minute. The hierarchy of management can be very difficult to follow. With a line manager, a scheme sponsor, a mentor, a buddy system, multiple placement managers and a scheme advisor, it can be confusing.

I receive huge amounts of support whenever I need it, whether it be for college, day to day work or just general wellbeing. There is always someone to talk to about any issues and usually there is a solution to whatever problem you have. Sometimes a lack of communication can lead to large workloads from different areas of the programme.

The support is generally poor. The quality of teaching in college is usually poor. The support for my NVQ came very late. The communication between the provider and myself and the provider and my employer has been poor. A positive is that college is every Monday, and we are encouraged to work on assignments during term holiday.

I think that this plays the smallest role in improving me in my role. Mostly, I learn through actively taking part in the jobs, as well as learning from my more experienced colleagues. The content in college is sometimes relevant and may become more useful I the future if I find myself in a more technical role, however most of what is covered in college can be learnt faster in the work environment.

There are plenty of extracurricular activities available, from casual socials to formal dinners, yoga to football and even talent shows. These cater for a wide variety of interests and can often be a great place to meet people in the business you may otherwise not come across, especially in a company the size of TFL.

Yes

I have learnt countless new skills, I enjoy the day to day work a lot. It is always highly engaging and constantly teaching me new skills. I also think the work life balance is great. I receive huge amounts of support whenever I need it, whether it be for college, day to day work or just general wellbeing. There is always someone to talk to about any issues and usually there is a solution to whatever problem you have.

Be aware that this is not a get-your-hands-dirty apprenticeship. Usually in the role of the client, TFL rarely completes construction work, almost always contacting this out. As a TFL employee, you will therefor be uninvolved with the physical aspects of construction. Also, practice all aspects of the application process before proceeding.