We plan and invest in transport infrastructure to keep the UK on the move
Description of organisation: Transport matters. It doesn’t just help people get around, it helps them get on. That’s what we believe here at the Department for Transport. Transport is fundamental to all of us. Every person in our country relies on transport. Without it we can’t get to our places of work, visit our friends and families, or put food on our table. Everyone needs a transport system that works, so we are:
Making journeys better: simpler, faster, and more reliable.
Ensuring that every part of Britain benefits from a growing economy and that everyone who works hard gets the opportunities they need to succeed; supporting jobs, skills and apprenticeships for people in every part of the UK.
Investing to bring our country together, including by building a Northern Powerhouse
Making transport safer and more sustainable
The investment we are making today will help prepare our country for tomorrow.
We will leave a lasting legacy for future generations. And we welcome you to join us.
Graduate vacancies: commercial; project management; policy; planning; economists; statisticians; communications; HR; corporate finance; digital; finance; internal audit; property
Graduate Profile
Emily Rainbow
Started September 2018 – Profession: Project Delivery
My name is Emily Rainbow and I am first year Civil Service Fast Streamer on placement in the Department for Transport. Prior to joining the Civil Service in 2018, I completed an Undergraduate degree in Psychology and a Masters degree in Countering Organised Crime and Terrorism at University College London.
My current role is in the Rail Portfolio Office where I work on integrating and managing the whole rail portfolio (worth over £50bn) to help improve delivery of our projects. Despite this being core to my work, I am fortunate to work in an environment which allows me to work on numerous other projects too, adding a huge amount of variety to my days; from helping plan the 100 years of DfT celebrations, working to improve capital project delivery with Network Rail and graduate recruitment.
The key thing to understand about a career in the Department for Transport, or indeed the wider Civil Service, is that there are so many opportunities to expand your horizons and gain new experiences. Whatever your job role might be, there is always room to get involved in areas of work that interest you and develop your skills. This emphasis on development, coupled with the challenge of working in Government and the responsibility that brings, makes work as a Civil Servant a completely unique experience. It cannot be underestimated how rewarding it is to go into work each day knowing that you are working to positively impact people’s everyday lives.
I can honestly say that working for the Department for Transport has been the best welcome to the Civil Service, both because of the huge amount of support I have received and the opportunities to develop it has given me. I will be very sad to leave at the end of my placement.
I applied for the Network Rail Engineering Graduate Programme in the Autumn of 2016, and was offered a position after completing several assessments including a situational judgement test, psychometric test and an assessment centre. I chose Network Rail above other employers as I have a keen interest in control systems, which I knew could be applied to Network Rail programs such as ‘Digital Railway’ and ‘Intelligent Infrastructure’; I also felt that the graduate scheme offered many enticing benefits such as a generous leave package and season ticket discount.