National Grid

We offer a range of apprenticeships from commercial to engineering and IT and digital - and we make it our mission to ensure the quality of your experience and training is a priority. 

For 2024-2025 we were proud to be voted 22nd in the Best 100 Apprenticeship Employers to  work for on Rate My Apprenticeship. We ensure that our apprenticeship programmes include a blend of academic study and on the job learning, whilst our engineers also undertake further professional training at our world class centre in Eakring, Nottinghamshire.

 

Business/ Commercial Apprenticeships
We provide opportunities across our business to help support the important work we do,  recognising  the essential role our corporate teams play in enabling us to Bring Energy to Life. 
From Finance to Project Management, we have a number of exciting business focused  apprenticeships to help you gain experience and qualifications whilst helping to find a better way to deliver energy to all (even if engineering isn’t your passion!). 

We offer commercial apprenticeships across:
• Data Analytics
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Land and Property
• Procurement
• Project Management and more 

Locations
Bury St Edmunds, Bristol, Leeds, Warwick, Warrington and Hybrid.

 

Engineering Apprenticeships
We don’t think of engineering as just a job. We’re shaping the current, to change the future as we know that a clean, fair and affordable energy future is in our hands and the decisions we make today will impact the future of energy. 
An engineering apprenticeship with us means you’ll be getting hands on experience with  maintaining our current network, work towards commissioning new assets onto the grid whilst contributing to a team of highly skilled experts taking decisions that affect the supply of electricity across the country. 

We offer engineering opportunities across: 

Advanced Apprenticeships
• Craftsperson (fitter, jointers, overhead lines, refurb centre and substations)
• Electrical Technician - HVDC Interconnector

Higher Apprenticeships
• Power Systems Engineer
• Network Outage Planning Engineer
• Cyber and Telecoms
• Asset Management
• Substation Engineer
• Transmission Network Control Engineer

Locations
We have opportunities nationwide including:
Bangor, Basingstoke, Bury St Edmunds, Cheshire, Gloucester, Hewish, Leeds, London, Manchester, Merseyside, Preston, Sunderland and Wolverhampton.

 

All our apprenticeships range from 24-months to 60-months in length (dependant on the programme) and are selected and built with our apprentices in mind. Whether you’re one of our Substation Engineers working at one of our High Voltage substations or an office-based staff member analysing data for our Strategy and Regulation department, we equip you with industry recognised experience, knowledge, skills and behaviours, developed within high quality off and on-the-job learning experiences.

What to expect

Whether it is your first experience of the world of work or if you’re a career changer, during your first few weeks you’ll attend our company orientation where you’ll learn all about what we do in, our people and systems, to help you integrate into life as a National Grid employee. During this time you will also be introduced to the vast support network of individuals in place to help you succeed during your apprenticeship and beyond, including: mentors, buddies, assessors, business coordinators, line managers and programme specialists. These individuals, and your wider work colleagues, will be on hand to help you to build a portfolio of evidence necessary to the successful complete your apprenticeship.

All apprentice’s complete role specific training alongside the qualifications relevant to their apprenticeship programme. But this is just part of your development. Outside of your qualifications and training, there are a variety of opportunities to broaden your experience, including: volunteering as an ambassador through our Grid for Good programme, being part of our Employee Resource Groups (ERG’s) or promoting National Grid at external events.

Many of our apprenticeship programmes have received high levels of external recognition for quality with the most prominent being our ‘Outstanding’ rating awarded by Ofsted for our accredited apprenticeships. We also feature in the Top 100 employers in the Rate My Apprenticeship awards, and our Engineering apprenticeship programmes have been accredited by the The Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET).

 

Which Apprenticeship is right for you? 

Advanced Apprenticeships

Advanced apprenticeships are for anyone* aged 16+ who has completed their GCSEs. It’s a fantastic way to continue studying and getting started on your career all while earning a salary!

It can also be a great option if you’re looking for a new career! You’ll do a mix of study and work over 3-4 years to gain a Level 3 qualification and valuable hands-on work experience.

Higher Apprenticeships

Our Higher Apprentice programs are suitable for anyone* aged 18+ who has completed (or will soon complete) their A-levels, or equivalent. We offer a range of courses and qualifications from Level 4-6 (degree apprenticeships). These courses offer an alternative to conventional routes, such a going to university, and we are seeing huge growth in apprenticeship interest as applicants become more aware of the benefits from programmes offering free qualifications, alongside paid work experience.

*Apprentices need unrestricted right to work in the UK for our apprentice programmes.

 

Not convinced yet? Hear from some of our current apprentices: 

 

“You get so much out of an apprenticeship. There are so many skills I’ve learnt, from electrical wiring, time management and on-site experience to learning to switch the equipment on and off safely and how to be in charge of jobs.”

Andrew, Substation Higher Apprentice, (Current employee), London July 2024

 

“I came for an interview and had a site visit and it was just amazing, everything I saw looked so interesting. I saw other girls and women doing the job which was really promising. Everyone was so encouraging of each other, it’s all equal. I wanted to join to make a difference.”

Grace, Substation Higher Apprentice, (Current employee), East Anglia, September 2023

 

“Whilst I didn’t have an engineering background, National Grid looked at other qualities I could bring to the role. I learn on the job, through a combination of theory-based learning and practical training and there are countless opportunities available. I would highly recommend an engineering apprenticeship.”

Georgina, Advanced Apprentice, (Current employee), Kent, August 2024

 

 

Everyone wants to feel welcome at work and to feel as if they can be themselves. We think the best way to achieve this is through building an inclusive and diverse workforce and fostering an inclusive workplace where diversity is embraced.

 

We’re committed to creating a work environment where people are treated fairly and where everyone feels respected, valued and empowered to reach their full potential. Our mission is to build a business that represents, reflects and celebrates the culture and communities we serve.

But our culture is more than just a mission statement or set of values. It’s everything we put into everything we do. It’s our commitment to diversity and inclusion; how we help our employees learn and grow; and how we partner with and support the communities where we live and work. It’s all this, and so much more.

 

"I fundamentally believe that it's our people that make National Grid such a great place to work, and ensuring that we create the right environment to allow everyone to be themselves and to thrive is essential."

John Pettigrew, Chief Executive, National Grid

Our Values

At National Grid what we deliver is important, but how we deliver is just as important. Our core values are Do the Right Thing, Find a Better Way and Make It Happen, and this extends to our colleagues, customers and community. We're passionate about living our values and for us doing the right thing is ensuring everyone is respected and can bring their whole, authentic self to work. This enables us all to fulfil our potential and find better ways to work together and make it happen to deliver on our ambition as a business. 

Our Strategy

Our aspiration is to one day be among the most inclusive, diverse and equitable companies in business. We will do this by:

• empowering our people by embedding inclusion into everything we do
• building a diverse an innovative green workforce for our customers
• moving boldly and quickly to deliver organisation-wide equity through our processes
• using our voice, platform and influence to create dialogue and elevate issues impacting people across the world.

At National Grid we seek to apply responsible business as a principle in the way we work through our values every day, by doing the right thing, finding a better way and making it happen. 

So we made sure to place sustainability into our business strategy and have embedded it into our strategic priorities - because we're committed to decarbonising the energy networks in order to reach net zero. 

Back in 2023, we refreshed our Responsible Business Charter, to align with the evolving demands of delivering the clean energy transition and provide greater clarity on our priorities for both us and our stakeholders.

Our Charter outlines our commitments to responsible business across three pillars; our environment, our customers and communities, and our people. These pillars are supported by our responsible business fundamentals, which include governance and activities that are essential to our business every day.

 

But to bring this more to life for you, listen to our Chief Sustainability Officer, Rhian Kelly, who explains more about the work we do.