Electrical and Electronics Engineer Apprentice

Summary

You'll gain experience developing and testing technologies, including sensors, control equipment and digital systems. Working alongside experienced engineers, you’ll build skills in communications, signal processing, control systems and prototype development, contributing to projects that keep the railway safe and reliable.

Wage

£24,500 a year

Training course

Embedded electronic systems design and development engineer (degree) (level 6)

Hours

Monday to Friday. Exact hours will be confirmed on appointment.

35 hours a week

Start date

Monday 7 September 2026

Duration

4 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

Electrical and electronic systems are central to the safe and efficient running of the UK rail network. As a Degree Apprentice, you’ll study cutting‑edge engineering concepts while applying them in real-world environments. Your work will help shape technology used across national rail infrastructure.  

Working within the Technology Development Team, you will contribute to the design, evaluation and manufacture of systems used across the UK railway - from sensors and control equipment to advanced digital technologies.

Your work will include:

• Support the design, development and evaluation of electrical and electronic systems used across the UK railway
• Assist in the manufacture and implementation of technologies, including sensors, control equipment and advanced digital systems
• Contribute to communications and digital systems projects, helping to develop reliable and effective solutions
• Support signal processing and instrumentation activities, including data acquisition, analysis and system integration
• Assist with the development of control systems and system architectures for railway applications
• Participate in prototype development, testing and validation to ensure systems meet performance and quality requirements
• Apply systems engineering principles to support the delivery of complex engineering projects
• Develop an understanding of engineering management processes, including planning, coordination and project delivery
• Contribute to the design and assurance of safety-critical and high-reliability electronic systems
• Work closely with experienced engineers and multidisciplinary teams to solve technical challenges and deliver innovative solutions

Where you'll work

Units 1 2 Red Lodge Business Park
West Wick
Weston Super Mare
BS24 7TN

Training

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

Training provider

WESTON COLLEGE OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION

Training course

Embedded electronic systems design and development engineer (degree) (level 6)

What you'll learn

• Design functional electronic systems and circuits from component level
• Utilise modern CAD technology to implement circuit design with understanding of considerations for heat dissipation, electrical interference and other industry specific considerations affecting layout
• Write and document structured code to comply with industry norms and to allow others to understand and subsequently maintain/modify the code
• Utilise modelling techniques for circuit design, embedded software development and thermal management
• Ability to demonstrate an understanding of the principles and practice of design for market, design for manufacturability, design for testability and design for maintainability
• Ability to develop a test plan for a product that they have developed
• Ability to explain the process by which a product is introduced into production, including what aspects are discussed at what stage and with whom and how development gateways work
• Ability to develop a basic project plan including resource planning, time planning, use of contingencies etc. Also techniques for predicting pinch points and strategies for timescale recovery
• Awareness of international standards and compliance requirements for the products designed by the employer. Ability to discuss the differences between legislative and non-legislative requirements
• Ability to demonstrate knowledge of basic business fundamentals including costs, overheads, gross margin, net margin, profit, and cash
• Ability to demonstrate awareness and understanding of basic health and safety principles both in the general workplace and specific to electronic circuit design

Training schedule

• BEng (Hons) Electronics Engineering and Embedded Systems Design degree
• Attendance at University Centre Weston (UCW).  Schedule provided at enrolment
• Hands‑on experience working with safety‑critical, high‑reliability systems

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

• English or equivalent (grade 4/C or above)
• Maths or equivalent (grade 4/C or above)

A Level in:

• Computer Science (or equivalent diploma) (grade C or above)
• Engineering (or equivalent diploma) (grade C or above)
• Maths (or equivalent diploma) (grade C or above)
• Physics (or equivalent) (grade C or above)

Desirable qualifications

T Level in:

Engineering (or related) (grade Merit or above)

Access to HE Diploma in:

Maths or Engineering (grade Merit or 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
• IT skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Problem solving skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical
• Team working
• Initiative
• Interest in electrical systems
• Motivated to learn
• Work with impact