Isolation Planner Apprenticeship x 2

At Network Rail, we’re part of a large family serving millions of passengers and freight users throughout the UK every day. Our service impacts millions of people and we strive to become more efficient as we enhance, maintain, and operate our network. Our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We’re an organisation where people matter. When you’re part of our team, you matter to us, and you matter to millions.

The Wales & Western region includes more than 2,700 miles of railway, and we serve communities and businesses within Wales, the Thames Valley, the West of England, and the Southwest Peninsula. Our ambition ‘to be responsive to the needs of passengers and freight users’ drives us every day and we’re empowered to do the right thing for those who use the rail network. We actively challenge unsafe practices, and take responsibility for addressing risks, resolving issues, and protecting the safety and wellbeing of our own staff, our industry partners, and the public.

Isolation planning is a key component to ensuring Engineering works happen in a safe manner. You will learn to produce and publish isolation plans and isolation documentation to meet stakeholder requests. Isolation plans and associated documentation must comply with the applicable Electrified Lines Working Instructions and applicable Network Rail standards. You will also learn to support the development and embedment of both long-term and short-term isolation strategies throughout the planning process.

The first 3 years are as an apprentice, completing a Level 3 in Transport Planning alongside learning about Isolation Planning. You will also have exposure to other aspects of planning a possession of the track and the role of engineering within Network Rail. Once you have completed your Apprenticeship and end point assessment you will become a fully-fledged Isolation Planner. From there, the possibilities are endless to progress in Transport Planning and within the Rail industry!

Key Accountabilities:

• Create and review isolation plans and identify work/possession proposals and opportunities in accordance with Electrified Lines Working Instructions and relevant planning standards & industry time scales.
• Maintain records specific to the isolation planning process.
• Identify any switching requirements and liaise with the isolation provider(s) to determine responsibility of switching for isolation(s) with multiple Isolation Providers.
• Attendance at possession and isolation planning meetings including producing, checking, validating publications and updates as necessary.
• Engage with Route wide stakeholders and customers and support with the coordination of their isolation requirements.
• Assist and support with the identification and implementation of quality and efficiency improvements.
• Maintain isolation planning competencies and complete assessment arrangements as required.
• When identified review any post isolation delivery issues and understand any learnings in the isolation planning process.

We are looking for someone who has:

• An aptitude for handling data and diagrams, and have a desire to work in transport planning with a passion for helping develop creative solutions.
• At least 5 GCSEs at Grades A*-C / 9-4 including Maths, English and Science or their equivalent.
• Able to work under pressure and to deadlines.
• Able to evaluate complex factors and make decisions to maximise benefit.
• Able to prioritise and organise workload effectively to ensure that deadlines are met.
• Displays a good attention to detail.
• Displays good communication skills and a customer focused approach.
• Competent level of IT skills including use of Microsoft Office, in particular Word and Excel and ability to work in other software packages.

Salary: £19,838 per annum. 35 hours a week, block placement at Leeds College, 20% of time studying. Closing date: 18th June 2025. Please get your application in as soon as possible, we may close the advert before the listed closing date if we receive enough applications. Late applications will not be accepted.

Network Rail is a Disability Confident Leader and we’ll try our best to adapt the process and offer a reasonable alternative to help support people with disabilities access, apply and interview for roles. Keeping people safe on the railway is at the heart of everything we do. Safe behaviour is therefore a requirement of working for Network Rail. You should demonstrate your personal dedication to safety on your application.