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Thursday 20 Nov 2014

On track for a bright future – Network Rail increases graduate places by 45% as investment in better railway continues

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Network Rail is increasing its investment in the talent of the future by raising the number of places available on its graduate and work placement schemes by over 40%, including in the North East, Yorkshire and East Midlands.

With a plan to spend £38bn on running, maintaining and improving Britain’s railways over the next five years, the company is looking to recruit 145 graduates – up from 100 last year – to join its 2015 graduate scheme and help build a bigger, better railway for Britain. Around a third of the places will be open to those with engineering degrees, with the company keen to attract people from a wide mix of academic backgrounds for the remainder.

A further 40 places are available on the company’s one-year work placement scheme. Open to second-year undergraduates, the scheme gives students the chance to obtain invaluable exposure to the workplace which will stand them in good stead as they apply for jobs on completion of their degrees.

Opportunities will be available in our offices all over Britain, including in the North East and East Midlands. Applications for next year’s schemes must be submitted by midday on Monday, 29 December 2014.

Peter Pick the joined the Engineering Graduate Scheme in York in 2013 after completing a Masters of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh.

Peter explained: “I really wanted to put to practice the high-voltage engineering I had studied in a multi-discipline environment rather than with the traditional electrical power companies. I jumped at the opportunity to join Network Rail – you can’t get much more exciting than the engineering that happens every day on the railway!

“During my first placement, with maintenance, I worked on the Selby Swing Bridge project, helping to bring a 120 year old bridge in to the twenty-first century, and improving its maintainability, operability and reliability.

“In my current placement with asset management, I am looking at ways we can change how we renew our overhead line and also working on the introduction of new camera technology to improve the detection of high-voltage faults from our fleet of helicopters.

“During my time at Network Rail, not only have I used what I learned at university every day, I have also learnt something new every day. The opportunities are endless!”

As well as opportunities in engineering (civil, mechanical and electrical or electronic), graduates can apply for jobs in general management, finance, property, strategic planning, supply chain, business technology and project management, with positions available all over Britain.

Fiona Tabraham, senior resourcing partner at Network Rail, said: “Network Rail has £38bn to invest over the next five years so there’s never been a better time to get on board as we build the railway network of the future. Our graduates are given responsibility from day one, building up the core skills that they need to become future leaders of the business. Anyone interested in a career that makes a difference to people’s lives should join us on this journey.”

To further support the company’s work with undergraduates, Network Rail has launched a prize draw offering five lucky final year university students the chance to win a suite of opportunities – including one-to-one mentoring sessions with our future leaders and CV guidance sessions – all designed to help give them the best chance of securing a job when they go into the job market. We’re also offering some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to go behind the scenes on Britain’s railway – details can be found at www.accessunlimitedquiz.co.uk/

Details of Network Rail’s graduate and work placement schemes can be found at: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/careers/schemes/