Blog
Lettie Todd Introductory Blog
Hi I’m Lettie, and I’m training as a Property Works apprentice
on the Network Rail Advanced Apprenticeship scheme.
We’ve all just come back from an extended long weekend during
which we got a chance to visit our depots and have a taste of what
life will be like when we leave after the first year. The visit was
split into two days, the first of which involved a tour of the
stations, including a behind-the-scenes view of what it takes to
run a terminal station. The guys were very accommodating and they
made it a fun day for us. I spent the second day in the working
environment and helped with some domestic wiring (this is where
unit 033 of our Apprenticeship course came in handy, and the
relevance of tuition was put into practice). I also realised that
there is still a lot of knowledge to master, much of which will be
learnt about whilst on the job.
Although I would have liked to spend more time at my station, it
was a good experience that made me want to get stuck in with the
job even more. The Track and Signals Apprentices had a different
experience, having to do presentations and also conducting a wider
tour of the area. That’s because even though they’ll be based at a
specific depot, the regions cover a vast area of track – for
example, a Signal Technician could be based at Bristol Temple
Meads, but would be expected to cover the whole of the Bristol
area, all the way to Weston-Super-Mare!
The first week back at the Scheme was exciting, with the usual
jubilation of seeing everyone again. Even though people were glad
for their temporary break from Collingwood, a part of you starts to
miss the routine that you get into, and the fun you have with your
classmates and roommates. The week kicked off with a new module in
Maintaining Electrical Equipment & Systems, which involves
fault finding on unit boards. This was interrupted on Thursday for
one of the several Life Skills lessons that occur during the year.
These are incorporated as part of the course to help you prepare
for the world after leaving the relative safety of the Scheme, and
include lessons on personal finance, renting/mortgages, sexual
health and so on.
On Thursday afternoon and Friday, two other Apprentices and I
were chosen to help out with a selection day for this year’s intake
of Apprentices. We travelled up to Watford with our Line Manager
and helped set up the Assessment Centre for the day; we were also
on hand to answer any questions the candidates or parents had about
life at HMS Collingwood and tuition at HMS Sultan. We also assisted
with the registration and admin work to make sure all applicants
were processed correctly. It was a rewarding day, although rather
strange seeing it from the other side and remembering the feeling
of what it was like to be a candidate! When we got back to HMS
Collingwood, we were fortunate enough to make it in time for one of
the girl’s birthdays – a great excuse to have fun with the rest of
the people on our course.