The South West Trains apprenticeship scheme follows the guidelines for the Advanced Modern Apprenticeship, (AMA) scheme.

To apply for the apprenticeship you must have attained GCSE’s of grade C or above in Maths, English & Physics with a keen interest in engineering.
You can apply through our website http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/job-profiles.aspx

The selection process begins with attending our recruitment centre in Basingstoke. Whilst there you would complete a number of assessments and logic tests which enable us to make a decision as to whether you have got what it takes to become an engineer at one of our maintenance facilities.
On passing these tests you would be invited for interview. If successful, the final hurdle is to pass a medical before being offered a place on our engineering apprenticeship scheme.

Once selected the next four years is structured to ensure you gain the knowledge and support required to become an engineer maintaining modern trains at one of our maintenance depots. The following outlines the apprenticeship program.

Year 1

Attend training college for all 5 days of the working week for 36 weeks. At college you will have academic training to BTech or ONC in Engineering and carry out practical work on a range of equipment from engines to electronic control systems. The work is assessed and forms part of the basic training. Any time not spent at college will be spent gaining workplace experience and training at the local Traincare depot.

Year 2 and 3

Attend college 1 day per week for 36 weeks to complete the BTech or ONC. The remainder of the time is spent gaining workplace experience and training at all of our SWT Traincare depots and Island Line. Skills are also developed in doing presentations and completing log books to track the progress of work experience. This work is supported by a mentor who will have experience of train maintenance activities.     One mentor is allocated to each apprentice.  

Year 4

52 weeks spent entirely at your intended final depot, gaining experience of specific stock and further technical and practical knowledge. At the end of the year the apprentice will produce a technical presentation on an engineering subject that was allocated at the beginning of the final year.

Apprentice Meetings

After the first year, and throughout the remainder of the apprenticeship, apprentice meetings are held at various locations. These meetings are intended to allow apprentices at different stages to meet and discuss issues and difficulties. Experience is passed between individuals and attending mentors will help or facilitate discussions.

End of Year Reviews

Throughout the apprenticeship and at the end of each academic year a review of progress and performance is carried out. The review considers academic progress and performance based progress and achievements. Success at this review is the cornerstone to progression onto the following year’s training.

Final Apprentice Interview

At the end of the final year all apprentices will attend an end of year apprenticeship interview, this will include a review of the project written work and a presentation to senior managers, it is the successful completion of this interview that will mark the end of your apprentice training. If you should fail this interview, you will be given the opportunity to repeat it after a further 6 months.

Training outcomes

Academically an ONC (Ordinary National Certificate) in Engineering is required to complete the apprenticeship and if an individual shows high academic skills and is capable of managing practical work at the same time it is possible that a HNC (Higher National Certificate) or a degree in engineering may be supported.

Practically a record / log book of completed jobs or work over the 4 years is required. This satisfies the requirements of the NVQ3 and enables South West Trains and the college to assess progress through the apprenticeship.

Quotes from an apprentice and the fleet manager who is in charge of the apprenticeship project

We in the engineering function of South West Trains continually look to the future to ensure that we always have enough competent engineers to keep the ever more technically specified trains in tip top condition.

We recruit apprentices who have at least GCSE grade C in Physics, Maths and English, as this is the minimum entry to ensure the apprentices will be able to understand the academic and engineering work necessary to complete the apprenticeship.

Our experience of working with local colleges is good. The facilities at Kingston College where our Wimbledon apprentices complete their first year are excellent. This means that when the apprentices come to our depot to work, they will have a good grasp of basics in engineering. Experience over recent years has shown that the South West Trains apprenticeship scheme provides us with sound, well motivated engineers who constantly seek to improve their knowledge and understanding of our trains.

Keith Bowden
Fleet Engineering Safety Compliance Manager


I’m going into my third year of the 4 year apprenticeship scheme. Being on the South West Trains Apprenticeship scheme allows me to get hands on in the work place to gain experience of the jobs I will be doing at the end of my apprenticeship.  

I enjoy the work as my primary interest is in Steam Engines and railways in general, we get to travel around to other depots on the network to see how different trains are maintained and the different sort of work that is carried out at each depot.

My home depot is Wimbledon, here we carry out Maintenance on the Class 455 and 458 trains, this includes carrying out exams, fault finding, lifting for heavy component replacement and also wheel turning. It is important to ensure you fully understand the jobs you are doing as one day you won’t have that more experienced person there to assist you. You will be the experienced one.

To ensure you fully understand the jobs you are carrying out you have to complete Logbooks, these are a written log of the work or job you have done and ensures that not only do you understand what you’ve done but also why you’ve done it, you also gain some underpinning knowledge on the area in which the job is associated with.

Stephen Trower
Engineering Apprentice