Alight here for better management: degree apprenticeships at Transport for London

As a child, Max van den Berg was fascinated with trains. And when he ended up on a Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship with Transport for London (TfL), his passion for the subject led to him making an early impact at the organisation. 

“I was reading my railway magazine and saw a list of trains in the UK that showed allyship with the LGBTQ+ community,” he recalls. “I realised TfL was missing a huge opportunity.”

Max then worked as an ally with colleagues in TfL’s OUTbound network group to create the company’s first Elizabeth Line and London Overground Pride trains. 

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“It shows that, when you do a CMI qualification, your projects can involve new, innovative, exciting ideas that you take from pen and paper through to delivery,” says Max. 

Hands on the controls

Looking back at when he left school, Max recalls how university held no appeal. He’d had a part-time job and was ready to work. So, when he discovered degree apprenticeships, it was a “no brainer”. And when he was accepted by his first choice – TfL – that was the icing on the cake. 

Jumping on the apprenticeship train meant more than merely turning his passion into a career. He would also secure a degree and Chartered Manager status. And, as the Pride example shows, the process opened up a wide array of opportunities. 

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“I spent an unbelievable year with the Santander cycle hire team, learning about bikes in their ops and contract team,” says Max, who’s now operations planning manager for London Overground. “And before my current role, I had a placement in London Overground concession management. There, I learned how we operate 1,500 trains and deal with high-value contracts.”