GREATER Anglia has announced three new paid, two-year apprenticeships as part of National Apprenticeship Week 2026, offering people an excellent opportunity to begin a rewarding career in the railway industry.

The roles, aimed primarily at those leaving school or college or looking to take their first step into the rail sector, provide the chance to learn valuable professional skills while earning a salary and gaining hands-on experience across one of the UK’s most vital industries. Successful candidates will play a meaningful role in supporting the delivery of rail services across London and the East of England, while developing a strong understanding of the wider railway network and how it operates.

The roles are:

• Business Administrator Apprentice based at One Stratford Place, London. The successful candidate will support the Learning and Talent team with a range of administrative and invoicing duties, helping to ensure the smooth delivery of early careers and development programmes across the organisation.
• Learning & Development Practitioner Apprentice based at the Stratford Academy, London. The role will focus on identifying learning and training needs, sourcing and designing learning solutions, supporting the delivery of training programmes, evaluating their effectiveness, and working closely with stakeholders and managers across the business. The position will have a particular emphasis on the practical delivery of training.
• Train Scheduler Apprentice based in Colchester.  The apprentice will learn industry timetable planning rules and support the construction of the permanent timetable, while working as part of the wider Train Planning team to deliver amended timetables, produce stock, platform and colleague workings, and ensure all planning activity complies with required industry standards.

Apprentices will spend four days each week carrying out their usual work responsibilities, with one dedicated day focused on apprenticeship learning and development activities. Throughout the programme, participants will receive structured training, mentoring, and ongoing support to help them build the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed to succeed.

Each successful candidate will receive a starting salary of £23,500, alongside a comprehensive benefits package including free staff travel on Greater Anglia services, heavily discounted travel on other UK rail operators, and access to a wide range of employee discounts.

Applications are open now until Sunday 22 February, with recruitment supported by Greater Anglia’s apprenticeship partners, Realise and Train’d Up.

Viktorija Starling, Greater Anglia’s Early Careers and Apprenticeships Manager, said: 

“We have three exciting apprenticeship positions open as a Train Scheduler, Business Administrator and Learning and Development Practitioner, giving the right person for each role a brilliant start in their career in the railway. 

“With a chance to learn as you earn and get support and help along the way over the two years, we can’t wait to welcome our new apprentice colleagues to Greater Anglia and get started.” 

Nikki Hodgkinson, Partnership Manager at Realise Training, said: 

“We are proud to be supporting Greater Anglia with their newly recruited apprenticeship vacancies. 

“The programme offers learners the opportunity to develop new skills, acquire industry knowledge, and earn a recognised qualification. 

“Throughout the apprenticeship, learners will receive ongoing support and guidance from our expert trainers.” 

Paul Daglish, Lead Learning Specialist (Rail) at Train’d Up, said:

“We can’t wait to get started with helping recruit the next generation of rail apprentices interested in train scheduling with Greater Anglia and wish everyone good luck!” 

The apprenticeships, announced as part of National Apprenticeship Week 2026, form part of Greater Anglia’s ongoing commitment to investing in skills, supporting early careers, and helping develop the communities it serves across London and the East of England. In 2025 alone, almost 200 Greater Anglia colleagues were undertaking apprenticeships in a wide range of areas, including data, safety, health and environment, and customer service.