Year in Industry Student

Working within the Technical Authority on various projects pertaining to the greater running of the railway, such as understanding and updating standards, assisting with the rollout of new technology and understanding where there are current gaps in the processes within the company and how these can be filled.

As my first "real" job, this was great opportunity to expand my repertoire of soft skills first and foremost, being able to work in a professional environment with engineers with decades of experience was massively beneficial for this. My ability to quickly understand new concepts was improved too, alongside my technical knowledge of specifically railway engineering.

Whilst I was learning about the new world I found myself in, not so much, but by the end of the year I was solely responsible for a number of projects whilst working with others on other jobs. I would say it was a massive amount of responsibility, especially for someone on a placement, but it is 100% tailored to the abilities of those who were taking part.

I had both line and host managers who were always at the other end of a phone should I need any assistance at any time and they were fantastic at this. The people I was working with were also aware that I was a placement student so they would always be willing to help should I require it, or just to push me in the right direction.

It was always positive, a great group of people to work with both within my department and the company as a whole. All very much there to make the railway a better place in whatever way they could.

It was an incredibly enjoyable year, to be able to gain experience and actual responsibility within Network Rail and to also gain contacts within the industry that I plan on returning to upon completion of my course.

Yes

Try to be a little knowledgeable prior to any interviews or assessment centres, understand the basics of the railway and the fundamentals of whatever department you're going in to but also be open minded, there is a vast amount of information to learn from some of the most knowledgeable people in their respective fields. Always ask questions too, staff there are always more than happy to answer.