Rail Engineering Technician Apprentice - Traction & Rolling Stock

Colas Rail Limited

Rugby (CV21 1BE)

Closes in 27 days (Tuesday 31 March 2026)

Posted on 24 February 2026

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Summary

This is your opportunity to start your career in Traction & Rolling Stock engineering! At Colas Rail UK, we make the investment in training and development of our apprentices so that they will succeed in all that they do. You will be integral in the maintenance of our railway, supporting our engineers and technical team.

Wage

£25,000 a year

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Your performance will be reviewed annually, and if you are doing a great job you will be recognised for that!

Training course
Rail engineering technician (level 3)
Hours
You will be contracted to 40 hours per week. Your roster will include up to 39 out of 52 separate weekends. Applicants need to be 18+ at the start of the apprenticeship as rostered hours will include working at night and during Bank Holidays .

40 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 1 September 2026

Duration

3 years

Positions available

6

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

As an apprentice, you will be integral in the maintenance of our railway, supporting our engineers and technical teams in all technical matters associated with the maintenance or repair of traction & rolling stock.

This includes:

  • Repairing engines on on-track machines or trains
  • Maintain our fleet of vehicles
  • Working with a diverse fleet of engineering vehicles

Every day will be different, and you will get the chance to see how your career really comes to life on the railway!

Where you'll work

Rail Plant Depot
Mill Road
Rugby
CV21 1BE

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

SIEMENS MOBILITY LIMITED

Training course

Rail engineering technician (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

Training schedule

Upon completion of your apprenticeship, you will receive a Rail Engineering Technician Level 3 Standard apprenticeship and IEng status.

Each apprenticeship will have a combination of learning through block release dates at a college or training provider, as well as bespoke ‘on-the-job’ training, developing you through the key competencies of your specialism, which you will need to deliver on-site for one of our many contracts. This will meet both the knowledge and experience requirements of your Apprenticeship Programme.

Qualifications:

  • Level 3 Rail Engineering (Competence)
  • Level 3 Rail Engineering (Technical Knowledge)

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4 and above)
  • Maths (grade 4 and above)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working

Other requirements

  • Committed to a three-year programme
  • Happy to work shifts (weekends, nights and bank holidays)
  • Have a positive approach to work and learning
  • Ambitious and driven
  • Enthusiastic
  • A desire to continually develop and grow your career
  • Team player
  • Effective communication skills (written/verbal)
  • Great time keeping

About this employer

At Colas Rail, we have over one hundred years of experience in delivering major innovations across our sector. Every day, thousands of train run on tracks built or maintained by Colas Rail. We deliver on the challenges set by a rapidly changing railway environment - constantly seeking to adapt our behaviour and culture to not only meet and exceed the expectations of our customers and stakeholders, but to also continuously develop and support our people.

https://colasrail.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

We understand that your career is personal and individual to you. On successful completion of the Rail Engineering Technician Level 3 Apprentice Programme, we will work with you to look at what your future career looks like. Maybe you are looking to undertake further study or work towards a Chartership, whatever your career ambition, we will support you in achieving it.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

SIEMENS MOBILITY LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000016368.

Apply now

Closes in 27 days (Tuesday 31 March 2026)

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.