Railway Technician Review

Carry out maintenance on Class 700 trains on behalf of the customer, Govia Thameslink Railway. This could be carrying out preventative & Corrective maintenance. Fault finding & diagnosis on faults whilst. Carry out scheduled overhaul task when units are required. I also ensure that trains are fit for service before they are released from depot.

I have learnt fault finding techniques such as the correct way to measure voltage and carry out resistance & continuity checks. I also learnt about all the components of the class 700 units. This includes Power & traction alongside the ETCS system on how it operates. I also improved with my tools skills

I enjoyed my apprenticeship a lot. Being taught new skills whilst improving on existing skills. I enjoyed working with different departments involved in my job role. I enjoy the technicians that I worked with as they also have something to teach me and they are very supportive in helping and guiding me

The structure of the apprenticeship is ok but could use some improvement. I like ow supportive assessor are when marking working and providing feedback. The improvements that are needed is the time it takes to move through the apprenticeship. There can be weeks or a month where nothing is heard.

I receive a great deal of support from my employer. I have regular meetings with my supervisor & Line manager to catch on how I'm doing and what areas I want to progress on. I get a lot of support with progression to become a better & more experienced technician. I also have performance based reviews to check how I'm doing work wise in terms of what areas I can improve and what I'm doing well with.

I receive a wealth support from my training provider. My assessors have regular contact with me to ensure that I'm getting along good and provide additional support when I need it. They are quick to respond and have frequent calls to catch up and they ask how I am doing and make sure that I'm ok.

As I had no experience on working trains or carrying out any type of maintenance, being trained through my apprenticeship whilst gaining qualifications I was able to be provided with key skills and knowledge that helped me to understand the train I'm working on and also to assist in fault finding.

There are a wealth of extra-curricular activities to get involved with. There are volunteering events where we visit places of education to promote the apprenticeship. There are also events where apprentices across the country come together for networking & socialising through activities. There are also charity events that take place where we participate in a boat race to raise money for charity

Yes

Siemens look after employees. There are quite a lot of benefits when joining the company which include a perks at work scheme which provides discounts for shops & leisurely activities The work environment is great and the management look after you really well. You get a very good salary and the shift patterns are very good.

When applying to siemens, make sure that your CV stands out. Promote yourself. I would also advise to have experience in mechanical/electrical engineering. When preparing for the interview, don't be nervous. I would make sure to look into the company so you are prepared for the interview and stand a better chance.