Overhead Lines Advanced Apprentice - Pelham
NATIONAL GRID PLC
Buntingford (SG9 0JA)
Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026
Posted on 17 November 2025
Contents
Summary
The apprenticeship programme takes approximately three years to complete, and you’ll spend your first 12 weeks being inducted onto the programme at one of our Training Centres.
- Wage
-
£24,306 a year
- Training course
- Power industry overhead linesperson (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, 9:00am - 5:30pm.
38 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Duration
-
3 years
- Positions available
-
1
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
The apprenticeship programme takes approximately three years to complete, and you’ll spend your first 12 weeks being inducted onto the programme at one of our Training Centres. You’ll earn while you learn and develop your knowledge, skills and behaviours to become a Power Networks Craftsperson, achieving a City & Guilds Level 2 Qualification in Electrical Engineering. Your Training will include periods of on-the-job training and development, learning from an experienced and qualified Overhead Linesperson. Following a formal assessment of your knowledge, skills and behaviours, you’ll become a qualified Overhead Linesperson yourself.
Overhead Linespersons are overhead line engineers who work at height constructing, maintaining, testing, repairing and replacing overhead lines and equipment. In the projects team, you’ll work on distribution systems up to 132kV.
You will represent National Grid and carry out work handed down by other areas of the business.
Join us, and we’ll see you participate in craft skills activities on the live LV network, on dead LV, HV and EHV circuits (live HV circuits if part of a Hot Glove team). You’ll help with network operations, connect generators and services and organise your own projects. You’ll also:
- Construct and alter overhead lines, install pole mounted plant, run and terminate cables to plant and overhead lines
- Carry out routine inspection, maintenance and repairs of overhead equipment
- Record asset routes, details and positions
- Record plant details
- Locate and identify cables, test insulation, phasing and continuity on LV cables
- Test earthing, voltage, phasing and phase rotation
- Write outage requests and switching programmes for simple outages
Where you'll work
Substation
Stocking Pelham
Buntingford
SG9 0JA
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
NATIONAL GRID PLC
Training course
Power industry overhead linesperson (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Review drawings, instructions, or information to understand the task for example, work instructions, wiring diagrams, design specifications, utility plans, on-line search documents.
- Prioritise and plan work with consideration for safety, environmental impact, quality, and cost.
- Identify and organise resources to complete tasks for example, consumables.
- Identify apparatus to be worked on.
- Conduct plant or vehicle checks.
- Receive and clear a safety document (permit to work). Brief a working party.
- Identify hazards and risks and apply control measures.
- Apply health and safety procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, safe access and egress, demarcate the work area, working at height, confined spaces, COSHH.
- Respond in the event of an emergency first aid situation including situations where there is electrical risk.
- Apply measures to leave power work environments in a safe and secure condition for example, anticlimbing guards, danger notices, barriers, lighting.
- Apply sustainability principles for example, minimising waste.
- Segregate waste for reuse, recycling, and waste transfer.
- Select, check, prepare, use or operate, and store personal tools and equipment.
- Use working at height equipment for example, mobile working platforms, scaffolding, ladders.
- Select, inspect, and use personal climbing equipment to access and manoeuvre to a work position at height on overhead line plant and apparatus.
- Fit and operate a rescue device at height.
- Select, check, and prepare resources.
- Record information.
- Identify areas for improvement. For example, in relation to quality, cost, time, safety, and environmental impact.
- Communicate with others to give and receive information for example, colleagues, customers, and stakeholders.
- Apply team working principles.
- Report or escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
- Produce or amend documents for example, handover notes, procedures, reports.
- Use digital and information technology. Follow cyber security requirements.
- Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development activities.
- Select and operate lifting equipment in overhead lines distribution work for example, cranes and winches.
- Carry out visual inspection to identify evidence of overhead services and buried utilities. Use locating equipment.
- Mark the position of services and sub-structures on the work site.
- Follow procedures for working on or in proximity to live apparatus.
- Select and use specialist LV live working PPE.
- Erect overhead lines plant and apparatus for example, poles, support mechanisms, stays.
- Install circuit main earths (CMEs) and additional (drain) earths.
- Install fixed earthing conductors and carry out earth electrode testing.
- Install cut outs.
- Install or replace conductors, insulators and ancillary equipment on overhead line plant or apparatus including sagging, tensioning and termination where required.
- Install, connect, and commission pole mounted plant and apparatus for example, transformers, pole mounted circuit breakers, and switchgear.
- Dismantle pole mounted plant and apparatus for example, transformers, pole mounted circuit breakers, and switchgear.
- Conduct pre-energisation tests.
- Conduct post-energisation (commissioning) checks.
- Perform testing procedures before and after switching operations.
- Interpret testing procedure results and action required.
- Operate switchgear and fuses making and breaking live conductor connections.
- Recognise fault conditions and identify the root cause.
- Replace components or resolve issues for example, replace high resistance joints or damaged conductor.
- Apply customer service techniques.
- Select and operate lifting equipment in overhead lines transmission work for example, cranes and winches.
- Check overhead line plant and apparatus is safe to access, install flag and check wristlets if required.
- Install access equipment for example, platforms, ladders, and spacer trollies.
- Install high voltage temporary earthing equipment.
- Carry out conductor compression jointing.
- Connect spacers to conductors.
- Test compression joints.
- Review drawings, instructions, or information to understand the task for example, work instructions, wiring diagrams, design specifications, utility plans, on-line search documents.
- Prioritise and plan work with consideration for safety, environmental impact, quality, and cost.
- Identify and organise resources to complete tasks for example, consumables.
- Identify apparatus to be worked on.
- Conduct plant or vehicle checks.
- Receive and clear a safety document (permit to work). Brief a working party.
- Identify hazards and risks and apply control measures.
- Apply health and safety procedures in compliance with regulations, standards, and guidance. For example, safe access and egress, demarcate the work area, working at height, confined spaces, COSHH.
- Respond in the event of an emergency first aid situation including situations where there is electrical risk.
- Apply measures to leave power work environments in a safe and secure condition for example, anticlimbing guards, danger notices, barriers, lighting.
- Apply sustainability principles for example, minimising waste.
- Segregate waste for reuse, recycling, and waste transfer.
- Select, check, prepare, use or operate, and store personal tools and equipment.
- Use working at height equipment for example, mobile working platforms, scaffolding, ladders.
- Select, inspect, and use personal climbing equipment to access and manoeuvre to a work position at height on overhead line plant and apparatus.
- Fit and operate a rescue device at height.
- Select, check, and prepare resources.
- Record information.
- Identify areas for improvement. For example, in relation to quality, cost, time, safety, and environmental impact.
- Communicate with others to give and receive information for example, colleagues, customers, and stakeholders.
- Apply team working principles.
- Report or escalate issues outside limits of responsibility.
- Produce or amend documents for example, handover notes, procedures, reports.
- Use digital and information technology. Follow cyber security requirements.
- Carry out and record planned and unplanned learning and development activities.
Training schedule
You’ll need to be able to live away from home during your training; primarily at our Eakring Training Centre in Nottinghamshire. Typically, you’ll stay on-site from Monday to Thursday and return home for the weekend (Friday to Sunday). The amount of time spent at Eakring will decrease as you progress through the programme:
- Year 1 - around 75%
- Year 2 - around 50%
- Year 3 - around 25%
More training information
This is a physically active role that includes working at height, climbing, manual handling, and outdoor work in varied conditions. Applicants should be confident in their ability to meet these demands safely and effectively, with reasonable adjustments considered in line with our commitment to equal opportunities.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- 3 other subjects (grade 4 and above)
- English Language (grade 4 and above)
- Maths (grade 4 and above)
Desirable qualifications
Other in:
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
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Physical fitness
- Adventurous
- Safety awareness
- Resilient
About this employer
National Grid is at the heart of the energy future, and our people are at the heart of National Grid. We’re 30,000 colleagues strong. In the UK, National Grid don’t generate or sell energy – we join the dots to get energy from A to B. From making a cup of tea in the morning, to keeping the lights on in hospitals, our electricity network puts power in the hands of people. Without it, the world as we know it would grind to a halt. The world of energy is changing beyond recognition as we focus on building a cleaner, greener future. Working at National Grid, you won’t just be touching the lives of almost everyone in the UK – you’ll be shaping the way we use and consume energy for generations to come. Net-zero targets are transforming the way we work and increasing the scope of the positive impact we can make. Right now, we’re looking for apprentices to join us. Our people in Network Services work across a number of teams to keep the lights on for our customers. They might be helping a customer who has lost supply or supporting a developer building a multi-million pound project. They maintain a 24/7 service from faults and maintenance, asset replacement to new connections, working outdoors with underground cables, overhead lines and substations that operate between 230 and 132,000 volts, their work is critical to everything we do.
https://www.nationalgrid.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- 26 days annual leave + statutory holidays - Competitive pension scheme (Double matched up to 12%) and Sharesave options - Employee Assistance Programme - Protective clothing and safety equipment supplied
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
- You’ll become a qualified Power Networks Craftsperson
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
NATIONAL GRID PLC
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000000777.
Apply now
Closes on Saturday 28 February 2026
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