Apprentice Review

I am an E&P apprentice so i go out on placements with the different departments under the E&P bracket. Each day i come into work and go out with a maintenance team and assist them with their duties for the day, i complete reports based around what i learn with each department.

Yes i have learnt a lot of new skills and developed skills that i had gained in the first year. The main skill i have learnt is how the railway operates including learning how all the procedures are put into practice out on track.

I very much enjoy the programme, each day i go out and come across something new that i can learn about. All of the staff at the depot are great and made me feel very welocme from day one.

I feel that Network Rail values their apprentices highly, the management take a keen interest in how we are getting on and are willing to assist us and provide information whenever needed.

The programme is very structured, the first year is spent down in Gosport learning about general engineering principles with the 2nd and 3rd years spent at the local depot learning more industry/job specific skills. The programme is structured so you get a chance to go round different departments and see how they contribute to the overall job of running the railway.

The training provider for the first year was Babcock, they were tasked to provide us with the basic skills that are required to become an engineer. They provided us with all the relevant learning tools that we required and gave everynoe their full support form what i witnessed.

Network Rail support their apprentices a lot, if i have ever had any questions i have always been confident of going to speak to any member of the teams or management for thier advice. If i have ever needed any help with completing my work the staff at the depot have always been more than willing to assist me.

As an older apprentice i have found it a bit difficult at times working for the salary that i'm getting, however i think compared with other apprenticeship schemes the Network Rail scheme compares well. The good thing about Network Rails scheme is that nearly everything is provided at the cost of the employer and training provider.

In the first year when we were based in Gosport there where a lot of opportunities to socilise outside of the work environment, this included the chance to play many sports, visit the fitness centre or make use of the other on site facilities.

Yes

I personally think Network Rail is a great company to work for from my experiences so far. They put the safety and individual needs of people first, which means you can be confident that they are looking out for your best interests. Specifically the apprenticeship scheme is very well thought of within the company and will hopefully lead to some good opportunites with the company when i finish the scheme.

I would advise all applicants to look into what network rail actually does and their role within the rail industry. I would recommend that applicants look at what roles they might be suited for with the company. network Rail seems like a company that if you work hard and show a keen interest then you have the chance to progress with your future career.