A HERITAGE railway is offering apprenticeship opportunities.

In National Apprenticeship Week February 8 to 14, North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has announced a vacancy for a heritage engineering steam/diesel apprenticeship based primarily at its headquarters in Grosmont.

It is the heritage railway’s latest such opening – 25 years after traction and rolling stock manager, Piglet, joined as a fresh-faced 16-year-old engineering maintenance apprentice, in December 1996.

Piglet has worked at the NYMR ever since; he was promoted to foreman in 2007, then became depot manager in 2016, and finally traction and rolling stock manager in 2017.

“The key benefits of an apprenticeship for me were it gave me immediate income and freedom,” he said.

“I was itching for freedom, and I was able to buy a motorbike only a few months after starting my apprenticeship.

“It also gave me the skillset to get to grips with my trade, gave me more ‘life skills’, and allowed me to progress – here I am, 25 years later, in a senior management role.

“Just because you’re an apprentice doesn’t mean you can’t climb the ladder of promotion – you don’t have to go to university to end up as a senior manager if you can prove your worth.”

For more information on the apprenticeship vacancy with NYMR, or to apply, go to www.nymr.co.uk/apprenticeship-heritage-mechanical-engineer.

The closing date for applications is Monday, March 15.