Apprentice Interview

[Iain Grant]

I am currently studying as much as i can for the Engineering Maintenance apprenticeship role as i have my interview on Friday having made it past the assessment centre. I know the main 2 questions are about scotrail and the role. I have always wanted to work on trains so this job would be a dream to me but i am struggling to research about the role in detail other than surface level things Its starting to worry me as i know this is a large part of the interview but i do not have much information. all i have so far is basic descriptions of DMUs, EMUs and diesel locomotives and this list of faults. Aswell as the fact they use wheel lathes, milling and boring machines and pneumatic testing shops.
· Coupler and coupler system faults
· Wheel defects
· Pneumatic system defects
· Electric/diesel locomotive failures
· Pantograph failures
· Door failures
· Brake or brake system faults
· Service failures i.e. defective toilets or wifi

Literally any information on any of the processes used throughout identifying faults or maintaining the stock would be a massive help as this job would be a real life changer for me!

 

[UriBull]

Hi Iain,

I am afraid I don't know anything about the engineering side of trains however I am sure they wont expect you to know everything. There must be some videos on youtube about the milling and boring machines.

Best advice I can give is try and get a visit down to the depot today or tomorrow, it will look good and also you can ask the engineers about what they do and hopefully there will be some apprentices their you can talk about the interview with. Good luck with your interview let us know how it goes. Alex

 

[BallastMonkey]

Hello,

Coming this far is great and shows that you have been doing something right!

I can offer some advice, coming from a maintenance background working on OTM.

First of all its good to know about the rolling stock, the mechanics and engineering side but don't forget about other important factors such as soft skills (communication) , safety. Remember you'll be working on large dangerous machines, sometimes alone, other times in teams.

So I would suggest prioritising soft skills such as communication, safety, strong work ethic, honesty, challenging etc and any other values that the company propogates.

As it is an apprenticeship, you won't be expected to know much about the engineering side but let me suggest that you do know the basic electrical layout such as a circuit, circuit breaker, fuse etc. Reading electrical diagrams (basic ones) Basics of pneumatic, hydraulic systems. Valves. Motors, pumps etc... A basic understanding relayed to the managers sitting opposite you should be enough.

It's important they can feel confident that you are aware of the safety critical aspect of the job, that you are willing to LEARN, stay longer to put that extra bit, ask questions and able to communicate effectively when working with others and trusted when working alone.

Anyways hope this helps, be confident and positive thoughts. All the best!