Network Rail seeking 26 apprentices across Scotland: Apprentice working

Friday 23 Jan 2026

Network Rail seeking 26 apprentices across Scotland

Region & Route:
Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail is searching for Scotland’s next generation of railway engineers with applications for the 2026 apprenticeship programme opening soon.

The 2026 SCQF Level 7 Engineering Apprenticeship, which starts in August, will offer 26 opportunities in signalling, track and overhead lines.

The programme will last three years, with the first being delivered by Network Rail’s training provider, before apprentices move into depot‑based placements for years two and three.

These will be located at various sites across the country where apprentices will support the safe, reliable operation of Scotland’s Railway while getting valuable hands‑on experience.

Ross McNab, early careers manager at Network Rail, said: “Apprentices play a vital role in the future of Scotland’s Railway, and this programme offers a fantastic foundation for anyone looking to build a long‑term career in engineering.

“The combination of hands‑on experience and structured learning ensures apprentices develop the skills needed to support a safe, and reliable rail network.

“We look forward to welcoming the next cohort and supporting them as they take their first steps into the industry.”

Network Rail Scotland looks after nearly 3,000 miles of track, over 14,000 bridges, tunnels and other structures and owns 366 stations.

The company helps move around 2,500 trains each day and invests around £1bn each year operating, maintaining and renewing infrastructure across Scotland.

Anyone interested in applying can sign-up on Network Rail’s website to be notified when applications open.

Contact information

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Network Rail
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Beth.Franklin@networkrail.co.uk

About Network Rail

We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.

Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.

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