09 Apr 2025
Ever feel like fate nudged you in the right direction?
That's exactly how Hannah Price felt when she stumbled across an engineering degree apprenticeship role with us on Facebook. Who knew scrolling could lead to a dream job!
Hannah, along with her colleague Jacob Green, joined our Railway Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Programme in September 2024. They’re now six months into their 4-year programme, aiming to obtain a BSc (Hons) Railway Engineering (Electromechanical Systems and Electronics) degree while gaining wealth of vocational work experience.
We caught up with Hannah to see how her experience has been so far:
What made you apply for the Railway Engineering Degree Apprenticeship Programme.
Only over the last year I'd been exposed to the idea of a degree apprenticeship and was immediately interested in the concept – gaining practical "on the job" skills whilst gaining a professional qualification and working within the company (as well as getting paid!).
I'd always had an interest in science and engineering, understanding how and why processes work and how to improve and innovate on already existing systems. I saw the job advertisement on Facebook and thought it was fate. The job description and person specification suited my skillset and interests.
Describe a typical day in a life of an engineering degree apprentice
No two days are the same! I’m based at Canton Maintenance Depot most days where I typically arrive to work at around 7-8am, ready for morning team meetings.
I'm currently assigned to the Wales Cross Borders (WCB) team, learning all things Class 197's. I have my own work streams that I work towards such as engineering changes, data analysis tasks, risk assessments…just to name a few.
We also attend University one day a week at Treforest Campus, University of South Wales to study towards our BSc degree qualification.
Our first module has been Engineering Mathematics, and we've sat two exams. Our current module is being run by Channel Compliance, where we're completing a Traction & Rolling Stock module and are in the process of completing a written essay assignment.
What have you've learned over the last six months?
Our first year has typically been an introduction to TfW. We've been on different placements, getting an insight into a range of different roles.
We've visited the WROC to spend time with maintenance control, we've had a placement with fleet planning to understand the maintenance schedules/exams on trains, placement on shop and over the last few months we've been split between Core Valley Lines (CVL) and Wales Cross Borders (WCB), getting involved with engineering changes, modifications, understanding commercial aspects and more.
I feel as though I learn something new every single day.
What have you enjoyed the most so far and why?
I've had the opportunity to visit other depots in Machynlleth, Chester, Crewe and Birkenhead which has been a great learning experience but aside from these visits, what I’ve enjoyed the most has involved data analysis – looking at data from the 2023 vs 2024 autumn periods in terms of tyre turning and making suggestions on how to further improve this in 2025 to ensure the least amount of trains are out of service for maintenance at the same time, improving on our fleet availability.
How do you balance the practical, hands-on aspects of the job with the theoretical learning?
I've found that the best way to balance everything is to be organised, not leaving university work until last minute.
Colleagues understand that we are working a full-time job whilst studying towards a degree so feeling a little "snowed under" at times is inevitable, in this case, it's important to be honest and ask for help if it's required.
How has the support been from colleagues?
I cannot emphasise how supportive all my colleagues have been. I have felt welcome from my first day on depot. When I'm on placements with the team, everyone is more than willing to help and answer any questions – even the silly ones!
I've felt that members of the team are excited to have us on board, rather than see us as a burden, which makes TfW feel very much like a big family.
The next six months and future aspirations?
In our first month of our apprenticeship, we had more of a "hands on" placement on shop floor, despite having no prior knowledge of trains.
This Summer, we have an eight-week placement on shop floor, starting from the end of June (including doing night shifts!) so I'm looking forward to seeing how my knowledge has advanced over the last few months and how much more I will understand.
My aspirations after completing the degree apprenticeship is to hopefully gain a permanent engineering job within the engineering department at TfW.
The company is growing, changing and improving rapidly so I'm excited to see the company evolve and the opportunities that it may bring.
I would also look into completing my chartership after my degree.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of joining the railway?
I would recommend joining the railway to anyone!
There's no time like the present, where there are so many changes and improvements happening for the better.
The advice I would give is to be bold, be confident and be yourself. You don't need to be an expert on trains to be successful within this industry. Don't be scared to hold your hand up if you don't know something, there will be so many people within your proximity that are happy to help and plenty of internal learning and development courses to help you along the way.
Hannah's story is a testament to the power of seizing opportunities and the rewarding nature of degree apprenticeships. We're excited to see her and Jacob continue to grow and contribute to the future of our railways.
