Network Rail Apprenticeship

[ZDS]

Hi,

I recently got accepted into the Engineering apprenticeship which starts this March. I’m joining Signalling but if i also have an interest in Telecoms, does anyone know if I’ll have the opportunity to swap

Also does anyone know how the 35 hrs a week are split up in the first year, in terms of start times and days working?

Thanks in advance

 

[bouff34]

Hi,

I recently got accepted into the Engineering apprenticeship which starts this March. I’m joining Signalling but if i also have an interest in Telecoms, does anyone know if I’ll have the opportunity to swap

Also does anyone know how the 35 hrs a week are split up in the first year, in terms of start times and days working?

Thanks in advance

I doubt anyone will have much info on this since it is a brand new scheme and you are likely to be one of the first going through it. Part of the scheme involves you passing Signalling School which costs an awful lot of money to put you through it - this may have a bearing on whether you would be allowed to change tack midway. Congratulations on being accepted though.

 

[TSG]

I doubt anyone will have much info on this since it is a brand new scheme and you are likely to be one of the first going through it. Part of the scheme involves you passing Signalling School which costs an awful lot of money to put you through it - this may have a bearing on whether you would be allowed to change tack midway. Congratulations on being accepted though.

AIUI the OP is joining the Signals Engineering apprenticeship, which is neither new nor does it involve Signalling School.

I recently got accepted into the Engineering apprenticeship which starts this March. I’m joining Signalling but if i also have an interest in Telecoms, does anyone know if I’ll have the opportunity to swap

Well done. I can't say I know whether you can swap during the apprenticeship but I doubt it is encouraged (you'll likely be moving off a cost centre that identified a need for you/budgeted for you on to a cost centre that did neither). That said, I think there is some convergence between signalling and telecoms and much of the engineering principles you will learn will be applicable to both disciplines. You may be able to move across later if you find you want to. Your best bet might be to study hard, get sponsored through the engineering degree while applying for the engineering grades. Getting across both signalling and telecom technology might be easier and more of an asset there than it would be in the technician grades. Signalling technician is a good job anyway. Have fun.

 

[bouff34]

Ah, ok my mistake - I made the assumption it was the new signalling apprenticeship which was advertised for East Anglia area but involves various attachments etc. Apologies.

 

[ZDS]

AIUI the OP is joining the Signals Engineering apprenticeship, which is neither new nor does it involve Signalling School.

Well done. I can't say I know whether you can swap during the apprenticeship but I doubt it is encouraged (you'll likely be moving off a cost centre that identified a need for you/budgeted for you on to a cost centre that did neither). That said, I think there is some convergence between signalling and telecoms and much of the engineering principles you will learn will be applicable to both disciplines. You may be able to move across later if you find you want to. Your best bet might be to study hard, get sponsored through the engineering degree while applying for the engineering grades. Getting across both signalling and telecom technology might be easier and more of an asset there than it would be in the technician grades. Signalling technician is a good job anyway. Have fun.

Thank you so much for the information, I don’t mind further education after the course especially since its being paid for. I’m really keen on the technology side of both disciplines but i only wish i could find more info about it online

Ah, ok my mistake - I made the assumption it was the new signalling apprenticeship which was advertised for East Anglia area but involves various attachments etc. Apologies.

No worries, thank you for taking the time to reply

 

[Ben.A.98]

The courses you sit on the scheme, SEM 1 & 2, points, SMTH, are all S&T specific and would not transfer over to telecoms other than a bit of diagram reading and fault finding skills. You could only make the move to telecoms after completing the scheme, I believe it can only be done during for exceptional circumstances. Its not impossible to move after the scheme, I know someone that did the track apprenticeship then moved to S&T after, but he had to start from the bottom again.

I'm not sure how the hours work at Westwood, I was a Sultan apprentice, but we worked Mon-Fri, and about every third Saturday morning. Once you move to your depot you will just follow their roster.

 

[moggie]

With signalling becoming increasingly 'systems' oriented - i.e. employing IP data links between increasing types of signalling equipment you might find your telecoms interests will be well served among the signalling fraternity by leaning towards the 'systems' side of the signalling.

 

[SWTurbo]

Ah, ok my mistake - I made the assumption it was the new signalling apprenticeship which was advertised for East Anglia area but involves various attachments etc. Apologies.

Just to bump this thread back to the top, I am going for the signalling/ops one! Just been given details for a signalling scenario test! Anyone have any idea what this entails? Don't want to put too much into the public domain lest I get screamed at by the powers that be in HR but its a YorkROC based scenario with video responses, no clue what to expect as it's not the usual signalling tests!