Register Your Interest - Mechanical Engineering Graduate Scheme 2027

Our 2-year Mechanical Engineering graduate scheme will give you the tools, and experience to kickstart your engineering career at Network Rail.

The scheme is focused and centred around developing your knowledge, experience, and ability in all aspects of your chosen engineering discipline alongside improving your awareness of the impact your decisions will have on our passenger and freight users.

You will have a genuine impact on the UK’s drive towards Net Zero through the sustainable management of the railway infrastructure, as the railway network adapts to the changing climate.

What you’ll be doing

Your scheme starts off with a period of business familiarisation, during this time you will gain an awareness and understanding of the railway system, across a broad range of disciplines and departments. This time is very precious as it will be the foundation on which the rest of your scheme is built, after which you will begin your longer formal placements within your chosen discipline.

Throughout your scheme, you will be exposed to a wide variety of placements and activities across your discipline. During these placements you will contribute to the delivery of major investment, learn how to manage, and maintain the railway asset efficiently and effectively.

As a Mechanical Engineering Graduate you will chose from a range of asset disciplines including Track, Signalling, Electrification, and Plant, experiencing everything from how the railway infrastructure is assessed, maintained, designed, and renewed.

Who you are matters

You’ll need to have at least a 2:2 in an Institution Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) accredited degree and the flexibility to occasionally travel to attend training opportunities at various locations.

We look for diverse and logical thinkers who can find creative solutions to challenging problems. You should be resourceful, hardworking, good at managing your time and motivating yourself. It is essential that you have great communication skills, are able to engage with people at all levels and be good at building relationships with your peers and colleagues.

What you’ll get out of it

In your first few weeks, we will help you to register with, and cover the costs for, the Institution of Mechanical Engineering. Each placement and training opportunity will be structured towards you becoming either a qualified Chartered Engineer (CEng) or Incorporated Engineer (IEng). Each year, you are required to submit your quarterly and annual reports to your Mentor to enable you to be assessed against the attributes and sign these off in accordance with your development action plan. This along with your continual professional development (CPD) record will set you on a trajectory to become IEng or CEng within a target of 3-4 years and 5-6 years respectively.

Your learning and development will be further supported with four modules of technical training. The first of these is designed to give you an overview of the engineering disciplines and safety qualification that you will require here at Network Rail. The remaining modules will relate to the specific disciplines you select. There will also be several leadership modules to help develop your soft skills and support you to become one of our future leaders.

After your two-year graduate scheme, you will continue to be supported by your Mentor as you transition into your first appointment, where you will continue with the next step on your professional development journey.

About Network Rail

We are Network Rail. We matter to millions. We design stations, we repair tracks, we code software, we do finance, we do much more than you think.

As one of our graduates you’ll enjoy immense variety and gain unrivalled experience across a range of roles, projects, and types of work. You’ll have the opportunity to immerse yourself in all aspects of our industry and either find out where your interests and talents lie or further develop your career in an area you’re already passionate about.

The scale and scope of our organisation and the opportunities we offer is huge. But despite our size, you’ll find we work as a close, supportive team. And as one of many graduates on our scheme, you’ll not only be able to define your own career direction, you’ll also be able to share your growing experience and knowledge with our wider network of graduates - potentially building friendships and professional relationships that will last a lifetime.

We view our graduates as our future. So, whether you’re interested in a career in Civil, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or Business, you’ll find that everyone, at every level is happy to offer you their time, support, and advice. Because we want you to succeed. That’s also why we offer amazing access to training, development, and further qualifications. All you have to do is ask us. And if we can help you to advance your knowledge and your career, we will.

Choose a graduate career with us and you’re choosing a career with real meaning. You’ll be part of a large and growing UK organisation that genuinely cares about its people and the world around us. We’re driven by service, not profit. And we want to create a safe and sustainable future for everyone. We matter to millions.

Join us and you could too.

Register Your Interest

To be the first to know once applications open, register your interest today!