Are you ready to embark on a journey that combines hands-on experience, tailored training, and a pathway to a fulfilling career? LNER's apprenticeships are your gateway to unlocking your potential and shaping a successful future in the railway industry.
At LNER, we believe in investing in our people and providing growth opportunities. Our apprenticeships are designed to offer a unique blend of practical learning, professional development, and a supportive community that sets the stage for a rewarding career. Whether you're new to the rail industry or looking to switch career paths, an apprenticeship with LNER could be the stepping stone you need.
Our apprenticeship vacancies are advertised based on business demand, so be sure to keep an eye on our vacancy pages. Better still, you can sign up for job alerts, ensuring you're one of the first to hear about new opportunities in your area, how to apply, and the selection process.
What’s involved?
Programme duration: 13 months, plus 3 months End Point Assessment (EPA).
Entry requirements: To join us as an Apprentice Train Manager,
Programme structure: Our Level 2 Passenger Transport Operative programme comprises,
Career pathway: Once qualified, future opportunities include Mentor, Minder, On Trains Skills and Competency Manager, Customer Experience Duty Manager, or Training Delivery Manager.
Location and salary information:
That's a shame. We don't appear to have any vacancies.
But don't give up. Our website is updated regularly with all our latest opportunities. Give it a week or so and search again.
What’s involved?
Programme duration: 13 months, plus 3 months End Point Assessment (EPA).
Entry requirements: To join us as an Apprentice Driver,
Programme structure: Our Level 3 Train Driver programme comprises,
Career pathway: Once qualified, future opportunities include Instructor, Driver Team Manager and Training Delivery Manager.
Location and salary information:
That's a shame. We don't appear to have any vacancies.
But don't give up. Our website is updated regularly with all our latest opportunities. Give it a week or so and search again.
Vacancies for our other apprenticeship programmes, such as Engineering or Digital, are advertised based on business demand. We highly recommend registering an account on the LNER career site and setting up vacancy alerts in your area of interest. That way, you'll be the first to know when apprenticeship opportunities become available.
That's a shame. We don't appear to have any vacancies.
But don't give up. Our website is updated regularly with all our latest opportunities. Give it a week or so and search again.
Businesses are now able to decide whether adult learners over the age of 19 when they start their apprenticeship course will need to complete a level 2 English and maths qualification (equivalent to GCSE) in order to pass it. As apprentices will still be assessed on core English and maths skills relevant to their occupation, we will ask to see evidence of any prior attainment in English and Maths (if it is available) if you’re 19 or older during the application process. However, there is no minimum requirement for it to be equivalent to GCSE grade 9-4 and your application will still be taken forward if you cannot provide any evidence at the time of applying.
If you’re 18, you must have achieved GCSE grade 9-4 (or a Level 2 equivalent, such as SCQF National 5) to apply for our Apprentice Train Manager roles. Click here to find out more about what acceptable qualifications can be submitted.
All successful Apprentice Train Manager and Apprentice Driver applicants will need to complete an Initial Assessment and Diagnostic Assessment in English and Maths as part of our enrolment process. This helps assess your current level and ensures you receive the right support during your apprenticeship to develop the English and Maths skills relevant to your role.
We’re currently developing our work experience program at LNER. While the Apprenticeship Team isn’t able to assist with queries, you can contact your local station, Depot, or office to explore potential opportunities for a placement.
We do offer apprenticeships, but there are minimum age requirements for our core programmes – 18 years old for the Level 2 Passenger Transport Operative Apprenticeship and 20.5 years old for the Level 3 Train Driver Apprenticeship.
However, we also collaborate with external partners to offer apprenticeships in areas like engineering, public relations, and digital, which may have different entry requirements. We recommend registering for job alerts on the LNER career site to stay informed about available opportunities and application details
To strengthen your application, we recommend researching the different stages of our recruitment process. For Train Manager roles, this includes psychometric testing such as RAATs and SCAATs. If you're applying for a Train Driver apprenticeship, exploring resources from The Train Drivers Academy can be beneficial. Taking time to prepare and understand these assessments will help you feel more confident throughout the process.
Our recruitment team is carefully reviewing applications, and due to the high volume of interest in our apprenticeships, this process can take some time. We appreciate your patience and assure you that we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your interest in joining LNER!
You can find full details on available apprenticeships, including how to apply and the selection process, here on the LNER career site. Apprenticeship vacancies are advertised based on business demand, so we recommend registering an account and setting up job alerts to be notified as soon as new opportunities become available.
No, you don’t need to already work for LNER to apply! Our apprenticeship vacancies are advertised on these pages and are open to external applicants – no prior rail experience required.
LNER aims to retain apprentices in full-time roles after they qualify. While the majority of apprentices move into permanent positions, some roles may be advertised specifically as fixed-term. We recommend discussing any questions about long-term opportunities with the recruitment team during the application process.
For most LNER apprenticeships, if you’re 19 or older, there are no specific qualification requirements or prior experience needed. Specific apprenticeship roles may have additional requirements, so be sure to check the vacancy details on the LNER jobsite.
However, if you’re 18, you’ll need to have achieved GCSE grade 9-4 (or a Level 2 equivalent, such as SCQF National 5) in English and Maths to apply for our Apprentice Train Manager roles.
If you can't find your certificates, you can:
If you sat your exams in another country other than UK then our advice is to obtain a ‘Statement of Comparability’ from UK ENIC, the UK National Information Centre for the recognition and evaluation of international qualifications and skills. This statement should be uploaded together with your certificates to confirm the level of achievement. To obtain this, visit the UK ENIC website.
Unfortunately, you cannot complete the same apprenticeship twice. This means if you’ve already completed the Level 2 Passenger Transport Operative apprenticeship, you won’t be eligible for the Apprentice Train Manager role.
If you’re currently completing this apprenticeship with another Train Operating Company and expect to finish your End Point Assessment while applying to LNER, we also won’t be able to proceed with your application.
However, we do advertise Qualified Train Manager vacancies based on business needs, so we recommend signing up for vacancy alerts to stay informed about future opportunities.
If you are a Qualified Guard, Conductor, or Train Manager and have not previously completed this apprenticeship, you are welcome to apply.
Unfortunately, if you are already a qualified, competent Train Driver, you cannot enrol in the Level 3 Train Driver apprenticeship. This is because the apprenticeship requires significant new learning to meet compliance requirements.
However, we do advertise Qualified Driver vacancies based on business needs, so we recommend signing up for vacancy alerts to stay informed about future opportunities.
Apprentices at LNER are entitled to access high quality, impartial Careers Education, Information Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) to support their professional development and make successful and informed decisions about their career pathways.
A key priority is for our people to understand the broad range of development opportunities that exist at LNER. We provide impartial CEIAG to colleagues in the following ways:
As well as promoting opportunities for further development, LNER is committed to providing our people with information about options available to them to further their development beyond our own development opportunities. We promote this entitlement in the following ways:
If you cannot find an answer to your question, then please contact the Apprenticeship Team: apprenticeships@lner.co.uk
Specific recruitment questions should be sent to recruitment1@lner.co.uk
Please note, the Apprenticeship Team cannot:
Our apprenticeship vacancies are advertised based on business demand, so be sure to keep an eye on the LNER jobsite.
By registering an account, you can sign up for job alerts, ensuring you're one of the first to hear about new opportunities in your area, how to apply, and the selection process.
