• Name
    Safwaan
  • Job Title and Employer
    Senior Sponsor
  • Employer
    TFL
  • Provider
    QA
  • Levels
    Level 4 (Higher) Apprenticeship
  • Training Provider and Qualification
    Project Management Level 4
  • Apprenticeship Start Date
    Sep 2021
  • What are your interests outside of work?

    Outside of work I enjoy watching Football and Formula 1. I also enjoy being active, playing football, hiking and general fitness. 

GetMyFirstJob Ambassador

Hello, I Am Safwaan

The reason why I chose to do an apprenticeship was because I wasn't too keen on the idea of going to university without actually having any interests in a particular field of study.

Tell us more about your experience

My job as a Sponsor is very similar to that of a Project Manager, however, as Sponsors we are more accountable for the delivery of a project. The projects that I work on here at TfL are based around safer streets, essentially making roads safer in London and this might involve reducing speed limits across some of our roads (Sorry drivers of London), it could also include adding speed humps to a road to reduce the overall speed a vehicle would be travelling at reducing the chances of a collision/accident. My job involves delivering these projects, ensuring that the project has funding for staff to work on the project, approving/rejecting stage gates for projects depending on the quality of documentation and engaging with local boroughs and communities on how we can make our roads safer.

My major achievement is successfully having a station name endorsed as part of the East London Line HIF programme. The approval required submitting 2 different papers, one paper to SIPDR, which is the surface investment portfolio director review as well as a briefing note that required approval from both the commissioner and the deputy mayor for transport. The briefing note paper also needed to be reviewed internally by several directors and was a lengthy process, however the station name was endorsed and upon reflection there were several lessons that were learned.

My advice would be to potential apprentices would be to apply, apply and apply! A lot of people - including myself - prior to getting an apprenticeship underestimate how hard and draining the process can be, due to the many different stages. Get to know the application process before applying and apply to different companies that offer the same apprenticeship that you're interested in to boost your chances of landing one.

I initially found that there were times where I felt quite overwhelmed with the work I had as well as keeping up with the college side of things however everyone here at TfL is very helpful and helped me manage my time more efficiently which I am now reaping the rewards from.

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