People Services Leadership Apprentice

For this apprenticeship, you will need to be 18+ years on the 1st September 2026.

Who are we?

South Western Railway (SWR) operates over 1,500 services each weekday across the network and employs more than 5,000 people. We provide easy and convenient mobility, connecting people and communities in South West London, southern counties of England, and the Isle of Wight.

Join our team and help us continue to bring people together to get the most out of life.

About the job

The purposes of the People & Culture Apprenticeship programme is to allow the People & Culture apprentice to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in a range of HR activities and specialisms.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Work collaboratively on all people issues, building strong relationships with Managers and Trade Union Representatives.
• Develop effective people solutions; Provide advice and guidance and supporting the management teams to deliver a fair and consistent application of all people policies and procedures
• Develop and maintain working relationships with SWR Managers, P&C Colleagues, Trade Union Representatives and Colleagues.
• Provide a proactive HR service to the business by acting as the subject matter expert on all aspects of the employee lifecycle and have an understanding of employee relations case work, such as disciplines, grievances, AWOL, ill health and redeployments.
• Work with P&C Colleagues to support the coordination and administration of ER programmes in a timely, accurate and consistent manner to help ensure that all Colleagues are engaged in delivering SWR's business objectives.
• Maintain HR records, updating colleague details on the HR system covering, employee onboarding and the whole of the lifecycle and ensure that the relevant correspondence is issued accordingly. 
• Ensure that employee records and associated filing is kept up to date in accordance with general data protection regulations
• Support the provision of weekly and periodic management information and produce key performance indicators in accordance with ongoing and ad-hoc business needs. 
• Assist with monitoring employee dates for returning from extended leave(e.g. maternity, adoption, paternity, parental leave and career breaks) with responsibility for completing the relevant staff change process. 
• Assist in ensuring that management teams adhere to statutory ‘right to work' and eligibility checking requirements as and when required. 
• Assist in ensuring that management teams adhere to the ‘Authority to Recruit' procedure when submitting their recruitment needs (including checking the relevant level of authority, headcount budget, cost centre, job title, work patterns and any employment related enhancements).
• Provide minute-taking support to Managers when required and ensure adherence to Company and statutory people management procedures.
• Aid with the issuing of correspondence to employees further to formal meeting outcomes.
• Handle conflict and sensitive HR situations professionally and confidentially.
• Complete leaver processes including staff changes.
• Assist in the management and administration of the Company Attendance Procedure including weekly prompt reports and updating the HR system with any management action taken.
• Perform ad-hoc or project related tasks as and when required by the People Services Management team.
• Prepare and deliver internal presentations and reports.
• Assist the People Services team in maintaining the shared email inbox, answering first contact queries in a timely fashion and escalating any complex issues to the relevant team member or manager for resolution.
• Develop skills and knowledge in all People Services activities.
• Identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

You'll need:

• An interest in People & Culture
• Excellent administrative skills.
• Good working knowledge of a range of IT systems and packages especially with Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook
• A positive team player who has  a ‘can-do' attitude and shows initiative
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality
• Ability to work collaboratively within a diverse team and treat all colleagues with dignity and respect.
• The capacity to ensure a high degree of accuracy and quality, whilst adhering to procedure.
• Demonstrates flexibility in approach to the job to ensure that duties are properly performed and to meet the operational demands of the business

It would be beneficial if you have:

• Predicted or achieved Grade C/4 or above in English and Maths, or Level 2 Functional Skills.
• A desire to pursue a career in the railway industry.
• Flexibility – this apprenticeship may involve early or late shifts and travel to other areas on our network.
• Excellent communication, with the ability to motivate and inspire a team.
• Proactive and adaptable approach to problem-solving, with a keen eye for detail.
• Willingness to undergo training and development to enhance skills and knowledge in the role

Working pattern

You will be working an average of 37 hours per week, Monday - Friday.

The Reward

In return we offer a competitive salary and a variety of valuable benefits, including:

• Free duty and leisure travel on SWR services for employees
• Free leisure travel for spouse/partner and dependants (criteria dependent)
• 75% discount on many other train operating companies
• Full training and support with development
• Excellent pension scheme

We all belong at SWR. Our vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below.  We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/