Testimonials
Only one type of person can tell you what this scheme is really like. And that’s our apprentices themselves. Here’s what they had to say.
Darren
"To be honest, I’m not surprised I ended up in the railways. My dad and brother are both signalmen – and I’ve got an uncle in the industry too. So it seems to run in our blood.
That’s not to say I had an easy ride getting in. Far from it. I had to do three interviews and an aptitude test: a multiple choice test where they ask you questions about mechanics and electrics.
Luckily, I’d already done a BTEC in Electronics, so this wasn’t too difficult for me. There were others, mind you, who didn’t have this training, but they still got through because they understood engines and electrics.
I’m in my fourth year now, and it’s working out really well. People told me this was one of the best apprenticeships around. And I have to say, my experience has borne this out.
The training is terrific. You don’t just get your NVQ. You get about a dozen qualifications in all, including machine work accreditations and key skills. So once you’ve finished, you’ve basically got a passport to go anywhere you like.
You do have to put in the hours though. Right now, I’m training with engineers by day – and in the evenings, writing up jobs in my logbook. I spend about an hour-and-a-half most evenings doing this. You have to be disciplined. Otherwise, you just fall behind."
Will
"I joined the scheme three years ago after college. I’d always fancied joining the railways, but saw myself in an office job. I’d just done A-levels in Business Studies and ICT, you see. But then I saw Southern were looking for engineering apprentices and thought, why not me?
The interview was tough, no question. They were asking questions about Ohm’s Law, about internal combustion engines, and so on. I remember a lot of the terms flying above my head. I just ploughed on and used my common sense. I guess they obviously saw the potential in me, even though I didn’t have all the knowledge.
It’s amazing how far I’ve come since then. For instance, I remember being quite daunted when I first came to the Selhurst depot. There was loads of heavy work going on. Everyone seemed to be an expert. I couldn’t picture myself fitting into the environment. But now, I’m just as much a part of it as anyone else.
The scheme itself is still a challenge. You don’t just turn up and repair some trains. You’ve got to do your logbooks too, which are basically accounts (often with photos or illustrations) of how you’ve completed a job. If it’s a complicated job, like changing a compressor, these can sometimes be five or six pages long."
