Highway Engineering Apprentice

About the Apprenticeship

Applications are now open for our Highway Engineering Apprenticeship recruitment campaign. Join hundreds of successful apprentices at Southwark Council and develop a great career.

Highways are vital. Everyone uses the highway every day; to travel, for leisure, for business, for emergency access, for deliveries, etc. Utility services such as gas, electricity and water reach our homes via apparatus installed under the highway.

This Apprenticeship is three years long and ends in a formal qualification of Engineering Technician (Eng. Tech. letters after your name) issued by the Engineering Council of Great Britain and recognised throughout the world. Job opportunities exist with any of the 33 highway authorities in London, (178 highway authorities in United Kingdom).

In addition, any of the utility companies, or civil engineering contractors and consultant firms require Engineering Technicians, as there is a national skills shortage.

After completing the apprenticeship, further study and experience can lead to Chartered Engineer status, which effectively says to the world that you are an engineer who can be given a problem, and that you will identify possible solutions, identify the resources you need, plan and design the project, supervise its installation and review its effectiveness.

Things you build make a real different to peoples’ lives. Apprentices bring their own experiences and innovation to the team. We try to rotate our apprentices every six months through our highway teams to give them a broad experience in disciplines such as structures, drainage, reactive maintenance, road resurfacing, traffic improvement schemes, development control, etc.

Apprentices have the opportunity to go on site and will be involved in projects from start to end, so that they can have an input in the design and demonstrate the knowledge they have gained.

Why Southwark?

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.

Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.

We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Why choose a Southwark Apprenticeship?

• Competitive salary – London Living Wage
• On-the-job training
• Professional qualifications
• Personal coaching
• Fantastic experience with one of London’s largest and most ambitious local authorities

What we're looking for

We're looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual who is keen to start a career in highway engineering. You will have strong communication skills and be able to explain information clearly to a range of audiences, including both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Comfortable working with customers and colleagues, you'll enjoy being part of a team while also taking responsibility for organising your own workload and development.

You should be confident using common computer applications, have good literacy and numeracy skills, and be willing to learn new tasks and follow instructions. Most importantly, you'll be committed to completing your apprenticeship programme and developing the knowledge, skills and experience needed to succeed in a professional engineering environment.

To be eligible for this Apprenticeship, you must:

• Be aged 16 or over
• Be able to work full-time
• Be willing to learn and develop new skills
• Be willing to work towards English and Maths qualifications whilst on the apprenticeship, if required*
• Meet the GCSE or equivalent qualification requirements for the apprenticeship level

*English and Maths qualifications are a mandatory element of an apprenticeship if not already held at the required level upon enrolment. GCSE qualification requirements will vary depending on the apprenticeship level.

Recruitment timetable

Closing date: 26th June 2026 at 23:59*

*We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Assessments and Interview date: 9th July 2026

Attachments

• Click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification