M-Eng Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham
Network Rail is a huge company with a variety of disciplines. As an engineering graduate, you could spend time working with teams in maintenance, route asset management and infrastructure projects, liaising with non-engineering teams on both small and large scale projects.
Not only does Network Rail provide graduates with a wealth of opportunities to take, it also encourages us to make new opportunities and to bring new ideas and unique ways of thinking to the company. These opportunities allow you to discover what work you enjoy doing the most and what your strengths really are.
My role has been more varied than I anticipated. I've worked in technical roles with both the Civil and Track design teams, completed practical work during night shifts with track maintenance teams, volunteered for management and leadership roles in graduate related activities and even organised a coursework module and lectured at an engineering college. I'm yet to complete route asset management and infrastructure project placements whilst on the scheme so the variety is bound to continue.
Being out on a night shift with an on-track machine was a great experience. It was exciting to see a tamping machine at work but it was also fascinating to be involved in the whole works process. I attended planning meetings to determine when and where the machine could be used given the resources available. I also worked with the track maintenance technical team to calculate and mark up the required track realignments for those operating the machine, followed by a post work inspection to ensure that the tamping was a success.
For me, the best thing about Network Rail is the people. Everyone will make time for you and they're always willing to help. Joining a company with around 35,000 employees sounds quite daunting, but you're made to feel welcome in the new and unfamiliar situations that you'll undoubtedly encounter as a civil engineering graduate in the railway industry.
It's an exciting company to work for and every day brings with it a new challenge. Graduates receive a lot of training so you're always learning and you'll be given the assistance you need towards becoming a chartered engineer. Network Rail wants the best out of you so not only will you improve as an engineer and a professional but also as an individual, both in and out of the working environment.
