Engineering and Technology Graduate Review

My experience at TfL has been genuinely rewarding. I joined in September 2023 as a Year in Industry student during my master's degree and was then offered a place on the Engineering and Technology Graduate Scheme in the Electrical stream, so I have now spent three continuous years here. The scheme gives you real responsibility early on. From my first placement I was working on live projects that affect millions of customers, not shadowing or doing token tasks.
What stands out most is the breadth. Rotations let you see how different parts of the organisation fit together, from power modelling and rolling stock to systems integration and safety assurance, which has helped me work out where my strengths and interests lie. People are generous with their time, and senior engineers review your work properly and push you to improve it. There is also plenty of room to get involved beyond the day job. I have been Business Lead for TfL's IMechE Railway Challenge team and helped run activities for the Engineering Graduate Forum, both of which have built skills I would not have developed through technical work alone.
Like any large public body, TfL can move slowly at times and processes can feel heavy, but you learn quickly how to work within them, and the support, training and exposure you get make it an excellent place to start an engineering career.

Responsibilities change with each rotation, but they all involve applying engineering judgement to real problems and producing work that others rely on. Across my placements I have worked in power modelling, rolling stock, systems integration and systems safety. That has meant learning TfL's in-house simulation tools, leading technical studies and options assessments, checking new trains against regulatory requirements, and producing safety assessments for the Piccadilly Line Upgrade that go through proper review with senior engineers.
What I enjoy most is that the work matters. You are trusted to lead pieces of work early on, and you can see your output feed into real decisions about the railway and the people who use it. I also enjoy the variety: each rotation brings a new team, new tools and a new way of thinking about how the network runs.

Yes

Yes, I would. TfL is one of the best places to start an engineering career in the UK because of the scale and variety of what you get to work on. Very few organisations run a network this size, so you are exposed to power, rolling stock, signalling, stations and systems all in one place, and the rotations let you try different areas before deciding where to specialise.
The support is strong. You get proper training, senior engineers who take the time to review your work and help you improve it, and a large graduate community to learn alongside. There are also good opportunities outside your day job, such as engineering competitions, graduate forums and professional development towards chartership.
Above all, the work has a clear purpose. Knowing that what you do helps keep London moving safely for millions of people every day makes it a motivating place to build your early career.