Network Rail celebrates 3,000th apprentice taking station at Suffolk signal box

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Signalling apprentice, Thomas Briggs, based at Saxmundham in Suffolk, has become Network Rail’s 3000th apprentice since the apprenticeship levy launched in April 2017. The levy was introduced by the government to fund new apprenticeships, creating opportunities for school leavers like Thomas and helping to develop the existing workforce. Thomas started as part of a pilot for the brand-new Level 2 Rail Infrastructure Operator apprenticeship where he will learn all he needs to become a signaller and succeed in a career in operations. Signallers operate the points and signals from a signal box to control the safe movement of trains across the rail network. Since the inception of the levy, Network Rail’s annual apprenticeship intake has grown threefold, with over 800 apprentices starting across nearly 50 different apprenticeships, from data analyst to civil engineer.