Apprentice Civil Engineer

ROYAL BOROUGH OF KINGSTON UPON THAMES; Kingston upon Thames; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 25,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

23 days paid annual leave

Online staff benefits portal

3 volunteering days per year

Hybrid working

Job summary

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames is offering an Apprentice Civil Engineer role to help deliver highway schemes from concept to completion. You’ll be part of our in‑house design team, supporting scoping, design, procurement and hands‑on site work, while gaining real industry experience.

We value eager learners with good communication, IT skills and attention to detail. The scheme includes a minimum starting salary of £22,432 per year, 23 days’ paid leave, hybrid working and access to

Qualifications

• GCSE Maths and English at grade C or equivalent; original certificates required unless completing via functional skills.
• Must be at least 16 years old and not in full-time education.
• Apprenticeship must be unrelated to any higher or equal qualification already held.
• Right to work and study in England with EEA/non‑EEA conditions as applicable.

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of highway schemes from concept to completion.
• Attend site visits and liaise with stakeholders.
• Assist with scoping, optioneering, design, procurement and construction site activities.

Skills

Enthusiastic to learn

IT skills

Attention to detail

Data analysis

Strong problem solving

Good communicator

Team player

Excellent communication skills

Education

GCSE Maths and English (C or equivalent)

Tools

Software packages

Job description

Shape the future of our streets and communities. This is an exciting opportunity for an Apprentice Civil Engineer to take an instrumental role within a progressive local authority delivering meaningful, highway schemes from concept to completion. You'll be at the heart of the full project lifecycle - from early scoping and optioneering through detailed design, procurement and hands‑on construction site management - with real influence over outcomes on the ground. Working in a supportive environment, you'll be part of a growing in‑house design team and a wider, highly collaborative highways service that brings together client, commissioning, reactive, permitting and inspection teams. Here, you'll find a welcoming workplace built on respect, collaboration and community. If you're motivated by variety, technical challenge and the chance to see your work directly improve places and people's everyday journeys, this role offers both professional stretch and genuine impact. The Design team includes a range of grades from Team Lead, Principal Engineer, Senior, Engineer, Graduate, Technician and Apprentices. The wider Design & Delivery team is approximately 30 staff and includes Street Lighting, TMOs, Planned Maintenance, Vehicle Crossovers and Surveys.

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

We are looking for two hard‑working, motivated and enthusiastic people to join our apprenticeship scheme. Regardless of your age, previous experience or qualifications (although you must be at least 16 years of age and not in full‑time education), we're welcoming applications from those that show potential, determination and a drive to succeed. In return we can give you the opportunity to kick‑start your career under the management of our skilled and experienced staff, whilst earning, learning and achieving nationally recognised qualifications at the same time., We're looking for someone with excellent communication skills, good IT skills, good attention to detail, enthusiasm and an eagerness to learn.

• Enthusiastic to learn and develop technical skills in highways & transportation.
• Undertakes own self-learning and motivated to undertake a range of tasks.
• Keen to carry out site visits and liaise with various stakeholders.
• Attention to detail to produce quality drawings and apply relevant design standards and guidelines.
• IT proficient in software packages.
• Strong problem‑solving skills, logical planned thought process.
• Good Data analytical skills.
• Good communicator and team player.

Please note, in order to qualify for apprenticeship funding you must meet the following criteria:

• Hold a GCSE level C/equivalent in Maths and English and be able to present original qualification certificates - if you do not hold these qualifications/certificates you must be committed to complete these via functional skills assessments as part of the apprenticeship.
• Only apply for an apprenticeship unrelated to any qualifications they hold at the same or higher level than the apprenticeship they wish to apply for. The apprenticeship being applied for must be unrelated in subject and content from the qualification already held.
• Not be enrolled on another funded apprenticeship or another funded further education or higher education programme at the time you start your new apprenticeship.
• Have the right to work and study in England and be one of the following:
• A citizen of a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) or have the right to abode in the UK and have been resident in the EEA for at least the previous three years on the first day of your apprenticeship.
• A non-EEA citizen with permission from the UK government to live in the UK, (not for educational purposes) and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least the previous three years before the start of learning.
• Found in zone 6 with good transport links in and out of London, Kingston is a vibrant and diverse university town which creates the rich sense of community shared across the borough and its Residents. Kingston boasts an idyllic riverside location, good shopping and great restaurants, as well as a mix of modern and historic town centre. Kingston has lots of open parklands and cycle routes that help connect the district town centres into an enjoyable place to live and work.

We are passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living, in addition there are further discounts available to apprentices and more information can be found at the and We're extremely proud of our apprenticeship scheme and the achievements of our apprentices, many of whom have secured permanent employment with the Council and continue to excel in their careers.

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups. To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda. We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract. The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case‑by‑case basis.

• Our apprenticeships are offered on a minimum contract duration of 12 months (some are longer depending on the level of apprenticeship you undertake), offer 23 days paid annual leave, access to our online staff benefits portal (including discounts at local and national shops, restaurants and attractions), the opportunity to undertake 3 volunteering days per year in Kingston, and a minimum starting salary of £22,432 per annum.
• We operate hybrid working, a flexible working model which allows staff to work from a variety of locations and staff are not required to work within the office 5 days a week. It enables staff to achieve a work life balance whilst still meeting the needs of the organisation.