Social Value Apprentice

Make your mark with Colas Rail UK.

At Colas Rail, differences matter.

Join a team where being your authentic self is respected, encouraged, and vital to our success.

At Colas Rail you'll be at home.

You'll be welcomed into an inclusive team where there's a role for every talent and a close‑knit, familial culture.

You will also get the opportunity to help us transform transportation, set new standards, and dare to be different.

• This is true because
• We value everyone as part of the same team.
• We treat everyone as equals - and everyone is approachable, from the CEO down.
• We put you in control of your career to lead and grow in any way you want.
• We have a culture of care, from safe working environments to diversity and inclusion.
• We're renowned for innovation, adopting new ideas, and daring to be different.
• We are building a more sustainable future and our projects impact infrastructure for generations.

About Us

Step into the world of Colas Rail, where a century of expertise merges with a daring spirit to shape the future of rail infrastructure.

At Colas Rail, we deliver transport solutions for sustainable mobility.

We are a leading rail infrastructure business with on track plant and freight capabilities.

As a subsidiary of the Colas Group, we are part of over a hundred years’ experience in delivering major innovations across our sector.

Every day, thousands of trains run on tracks built, designed, or maintained by Colas Rail.

Leading by our Values

Our values,

Respect, Commitment, Pioneering and Sharing are at the heart of everything we do. These values feed into our main strategies and accompany us daily in realising our ambitions.

We Respect

We respect our employees, celebrate diversity and foster a culture of safety, care and respect for everyone we interact with.

We care about our employee's wellbeing and create an environment of inclusivity and support.

We Commit

We commit by showing up wholeheartedly.

When we commit together, we invest in everyone’s success.

We invest in our customers, our teams and our colleagues, and we lead with safety, integrity, passion, purpose, ethics and transparency.

We Share

We share as we all hold knowledge that could and should be shared, enabling us to grow and making us a strong collective.

We have a passion for excellence, celebrating achievements and nurturing talent.

We Pioneer

We pioneer to push boundaries, imagine what does not yet exist and dare to do what others do not. We innovate with ambition, and we find solutions.

Purpose of the Role

The Social Value Apprentice will join the Colas Rail Social Value team, supporting the company’s social value strategy and action plan.

Your primary responsibilities will include delivering social value initiatives in the communities where we operate, building partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, and monitoring and reporting social value outcomes across the company.

Reporting to the Social Value Manager, you will assist in creating informative and compelling communications, such as social value newsletters and case studies, targeting both internal and external stakeholders, including clients, employees, supply chain partners, and local communities.

Additionally, you will coordinate Colas Rail’s award submission process, collaborating to develop award‑winning entries in various categories such as employment, training, local engagement, innovation, and net‑zero initiatives.

Person Specification

• Minimum of 96 UCAS points (or equivalent Level 3 qualification such as A Levels, BTEC, or T Level).
• Minimum of 4 GCSEs (grade 4 or above) including Maths and English or equivalent.
• Strong communication skills, able to build and maintain relationships with community organizations and local communities.
• Analytical thinking, communication, and problem‑solving skills.
• Commitment to learning and completing your chosen study pathway.
• Willingness to travel across England and Wales (including London, Swindon, Bedford, Chelmsford, and Bristol).
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, including presentation ability.
• Proficiency in Word, Excel, and Power Point.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the delivery and continuous development of the company’s Social Value Strategy and Action Plan across infrastructure projects and business operations.
• Collaborate with internal teams, clients, and supply chain partners to identify and promote social value opportunities and initiatives.
• Research innovative approaches and new initiatives that deliver sustainable and long‑term social impact within local communities.
• Plan, coordinate, and support the delivery of social value activities across England and Wales, including school engagement, careers fairs, university engagement, STEM activities, employability programmes, and volunteering initiatives.
• Build and maintain positive partnerships with community organisations, charities, educational institutions, and voluntary groups to deliver joint social value projects.
• Promote and coordinate volunteering opportunities that encourage employee engagement and community participation.
• Liaise with operational, commercial, HR, and project teams to support and enhance social value delivery across the business.
• Monitor, measure, and track social value performance, ensuring activities and outcomes are accurately reported through the company’s reporting and monitoring platforms.
• Produce high‑quality case studies, impact stories, presentations, and communications materials to promote social value achievements internally and externally, including on social media and the company website.
• Identify relevant social value, sustainability, and industry award opportunities and support the development of high‑quality award submissions in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• As you will expect the organisation may change from time to time and you will be expected to meet the operational requirements.
• Any other reasonable duties as required from time to time.

What We offer

• Competitive Salary
• 26 days Annual Leave
• Industry leading Life Assurance
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• Wellbeing Employee
• Assistant Programme Pension Scheme
• Eye Care Vouchers
• Long Service Award Season
• Ticket Loan
• Occupational Health Service

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace.

We believe that diversity drives innovation and creativity, and we actively seek to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, heard, valued and respected.

Regardless of background, disability, age, race, religion, or gender, everyone is welcome at Colas Rail.

We strive to promote equity and eliminate discrimination, actively seeking to create a workforce reflective of communities we serve.

We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, offering flexible and inclusive adjustments to the interview process.

As part of a positive action drive to address under‑representation we encourage applications from women, ethnically diverse individuals and people with disabilities, along with all candidates who identify with protected characteristic groups under the Equality Act 2010.

We are proudly part of the Disability Confidence Scheme, and as such we operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme if you meet the minimum requirements.

On joining Colas Rail you'll have access to our growing Employee Network Groups including Railbow (representing the LGBTQ+ community), Beyon Disability (representing those with disabilities) and Cross Culture (representing people from ethnic backgrounds).

Everyone is welcome to join our network groups whether you are part of the community or an ally.

Work life balance is important to us; flexible working options are available where feasible and dependant on the role. Please discuss this during the interview process.

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