Transport Planning Apprentice Review

I am involved in analysing the impact of construction on bus services. I carry out journey time analysis as well as financial impact assessments to help us mitigate fro any loss of revenue that may occur due to construction where routes are meant to serve, or other events that would affect journey time.

I have learnt a lot of new skills regarding my use of IT. Before my apprenticeship this was not something that I was entirely comfortable with, but since starting in this placement I have become much more proficient in the use of excel, word, PowerPoint, and a host of online software essential to my role.

I am really enjoying my programme. I think that completing an apprenticeship was a great way for me to start working in a more corporate environment as it was something i wasn't used to. The learning and development aspect of the programme has helped to expand my skills whilst earning.

My programme is really well organised. We rotate placements every six months, meaning that by the time we finish our apprenticeship, we could have experience up to six different business areas. This helps us to complete everything we need to for the CDP element of the apprenticeship, as well as gaining valuable knowledge and skills.

I receive a huge amount of support from my employer. As well as a placement manager, we also have a line manager that we can contact in the case of any questions we may have, or any challenges that we may be facing. This helps us as we are learning and developing in each business area.

We receive support from the college in terms of completing assessments which is helpful, as having to attend classes online can be really difficult. The only thing I would say is that it often takes along time (three months) for some of our work to be marked and this can be discouraging when the deadlines to hand them in in the first place are so tight.

I have learnt about the role of policies and laws that are relevant to my work area. It helps to understand the reasons behind procedure or the way things are done, and this really helps when you know the reasoning behind something, whether that be to safeguard us as employees, or act in a sustainable way.

I would definitely like to be a part of the Graduate and Apprentice committee during my time as an apprentice at TfL. I think this would be an excellent opportunity to network and meet people from different schemes, but also would look great on my CV and will help when applying for roles after my scheme.

Yes

I would recommend this apprenticeship, as it can lead to a wonderful career path at a company that is great to work for. The best thing about this apprenticeship is how varied it is, and how you can move around so many different business areas during your time at the company.

I would tell them to do some research on the business first, and really think about why they would like to work for the company. I would say to be yourself and try to enjoy the interview process as much as possible, as you learn a lot about the business and it's possible career options within transport planning.