Engineering Profile: Tejinder Sohel

My father introduced me to engineering, taking me to his workshop during summer holidays to work on the machinery. Soon after, I started to learn the basics and then spent my two-week school work experience at the workshop working within a real work environment, which I enjoyed a lot.

Personally I didn't like the educational system and the options it provided, so I decided that the best move was to see a Careers Adviser and get the best options for developing a career within engineering. I was introduced to Modern Apprenticeships where I could work to gain experience and study at the same time and then integrate into the business using the skills. I had heard good things about Tube Lines Apprenticeship schemes from my careers adviser and also from friends. I was offered an apprenticeship as a Track Technician and I am now in my final year of the scheme. During one of my placements in the second year I learnt about "Railfail". This was dealing with rail failure on the three lines, investigating the causes of the failure and developing prevention against recurrence. This gave me a great insight into how delicate and fragile track can be and how easily the travelling public can be affected.

I am now working with the surveying department, monitoring different aspects of track. Looking for any sort of movement from the track or the surrounding structure, sections of track that may need renewal, surveying sections and passing on the data to track design where they modify the track features and track furniture to implement to existing parameters. This design is then passed on for the upgrades to be made.
A typical day doesn't exist here, every day is different and eventful, which is why I enjoy my job so much. When I come into the office I check emails and then use Liscad to plot our survey that we did over previous nights and then pass it onto track design. A number of extra jobs occur during days such as drawing up station descriptions. The surveys themselves are carried out at night once public service has stopped.

My aim is to finish my apprenticeship and go on to do a degree in Civil Engineering while developing a career with Tube Lines. I love the structure of the apprenticeship and would not change anything as it is running perfectly. It is my ideal job and I am very happy at Tube Lines.